A Peculiar Situation
by apriiil
Summary: Somehow, the members of Fairy Tail find themselves in some interesting situations in an interesting world. For Bickslow and Lucy, that means waking up in the middle of the night to find out they have a kid, among other things.
1. Chapter 1

"It's your turn," the blonde mumbled into the soft pillow, only to receive a half-hearted grunt from the man beside her. "Go on. I did it last time."

 _Wait, what? What am I even saying?_

Lucy shot up in the bed, the room spinning slightly from the sudden movement. _What the hell is going on here?_ The crying from the hall was getting louder – the same crying that had woken her up – and she could feel the beginnings of a headache. _Why is there even a baby crying?_

She turned in the bed, the duvet becoming slightly twisted as she did so. The room was dark, but she knew it was _not_ her bed, and nothing in the room belonged to her, nor did she recognise any of it. She looked down at the sleeping form beside her; he was facing away from her, his own face pushed into his pillow. _What the hell is going on here? Where am I?_

The crying was getting louder again, and the other person on the bed started to move, sliding slowly towards the edge of the bed. Lucy only sat staring at the man, wondering who it was and how they came to be sharing a bed. She didn't remember going out the night before. In fact, she couldn't even remember leaving the guild that afternoon, yet here she was in a stranger's bed.

"Fine, I'm going," he mumbled as he pushed himself up slowly into a sitting position, his eyes half lidded as he placed his feet on the ground and feeling the cold of the wood.

He stood up slowly, still feeling like he was asleep (because let's face it, he was). And then it occurred to him: he had no idea what he was even getting up for. He suddenly felt very awake, and the loud cry of what he could only assume was a baby was coming from down the hall. _Why the hell is there a kid crying?_ He turned his head to look down at the tangled sheets. _Whose bed is this?_

The man turned his head more, looking over his shoulder. His eyes went wide when he realised what – or rather, _who_ , he was staring at, and he jumped up from the bed suddenly but instead went crashing to the floor, realising he was still slightly tangled up in the sheets.

"Cosplayer?!" he shouted as he placed his hands back on the mattress, pushing himself up slightly so that he wasn't lying on the floor amongst the sheets that were being pulled from the bed. _What the hell is she doing here? What the hell is going on here?!_

 _Cosplayer? No. No, no, no. There's only one person who calls me that. Oh, no. God no._ She reached an arm out to the lamp that sat on the bedside table and quickly switched it on as he did the same on the other side of the bed. "B-Bickslow?! What the hell are you doing here?" She only sat there, bewildered. How the _hell_ had she found herself in a bed with Bickslow?

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?!" He pushed himself up more, standing up straight as he stared down at the blonde that sat on the far side of the bed _. Yep, definitely her._

"I don't know what I'm doing here! Isn't this… Is this your house?"

"What? No! I thought it was yours!" Bickslow turned to face the door that sat at the foot of the bed. The crying had gotten louder once again and had brought him back to what he had been woken up by. "Is that a baby?"

"I hope so." Lucy got up from the bed and walked towards the hall slowly.

"You hope so? There's other things you could be hoping for right now," he mumbled as he followed her.

"Well, I mean, this is a pretty weird situation, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if this is a trap or something."

Lucy crept down the dark hall in the direction the sound was coming from. Bickslow's footsteps behind her could barely be heard over the crying, and she could feel her heart racing as she walked. She was nervous, and she was scared as hell. If it was an actual human baby, then she'd be even more confused because she'd have to figure out who its parents were, but if it wasn't and it ended up being a trap… Well, she didn't know what to expect, really.

Lucy pushed open the door that the crying seemed to be coming from, revealing the dimly lit room that seemed to be a nursery. She looked for a light switch on the wall, finding it right next to the door and flicked the lights on. Lucy looked around the room as she walked in slowly, Bickslow still standing in the doorframe. The walls were a bright yellow, and all of the furniture white. In one corner sat a large white chair with a grey pillow, and next to it sat a small white chest of drawers. The opposite wall had the large crib, and below the window sat a changing table.

She made her way over to the crib tentatively, and Bickslow did the same slowly. Lucy peered over the railing and into the crib, leaning her elbows on the railing when she was confident that it was just a baby, and not some horrible monster that just _looked_ like a baby.

"Shouldn't you like… do something?" Bickslow mumbled as he came to rest his elbows on the railing next to the blonde and vaguely gestured to the near screaming infant in front of them.

"Why me?" She turned to look up at him. She could see how confused he was – it was clear on his face. But she was realising something was missing, too. Lucy had only seen him a few times without his visor, but she knew that something wasn't right. _The mark. The mark is gone._ "Wait… Your mark is gone?"

He turned to look at the blonde. "What?"

"That mark or… Or tattoo you have." She pointed to the bridge of her nose. "It's not there."

Bickslow turned around to walk over to the set of drawers behind them, looking into the mirror that sat above it. "What the fuck? What the hell is going on?" He frantically tried rubbing his hands over his nose, trying to make the mark that he'd had his entire life appear, hoping that it was just covered up by something.

"Language!" Lucy yelled from behind him. "There's a baby here!"

"It's not even my kid! Why do I care?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Whatever, just please, make it stop crying!"

Shaking her head, Lucy turned to look down at the tiny human in the crib below her, and reached in to pick it up, the light pink blanket falling away. She cradled it in her arms as she pulled it against her chest, rocking slightly, "Hey, hey," she whispered. "It's okay. Shh." Lucy had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to be doing, but she hoped just doing that would work to some extent.

The crying seemed to get quieter after a few minutes, too, thankfully. His nose red and slightly sore, Bickslow came to stand next to the blonde again, curiously watching the two. "Does it have a name?"

"Can you stop calling it an _it_?"

"You just called it an it," Bickslow pointed out. He took a step forward then, towering over the two of them. He looked down at the now quiet baby, and Bickslow only noticed the light blonde hair that covered their entire head. And just out of curiosity, he glanced back to Lucy. _Blonde. Same blonde. This is weird._ He lifted an arm slowly, raising his hand to prod at the baby's chest as lightly and gentle as possible. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Don't do that!" Lucy stepped away quickly and glared up at the man. "I doubt she knows how to talk."

He raised an eyebrow to that. "So it's a she now?"

"Well, I mean, there's a lot of pink stuff in here too."

"Whatever. So it's a she now." He folded his arms across his chest, "Doesn't change the fact we don't know who her parents are, or what her name is, or why _we're_ even here in the first place."

Lucy looked back down at the blonde child in her arms – she barely looked to be six months old. Lucy knew that Bickslow was right: they knew nothing about why they were there, and they knew nothing about the baby. _Maybe it's all just a dream? No – scratch that. More like nightmare._

Confident that she had gotten the baby back to sleep (somehow) after a few more minutes, she walked back over to the crib slowly, and lowered her down into it.

"Maybe it's all just a dream and none of this even matters?" she sighed as she went back to just leaning on the railing, continuing to look down at the baby.

Bickslow stood up straight, pinching his forearm a few times until it left a red mark. "Here, try punching me," he said, holding his arm out to the blonde.

"You want me to punch you?" She raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at Bickslow, only seeing that he was completely serious when he shrugged.

"Not like, super ha—hey! That hurt!" He took a few steps back, his free hand clutching his arm just below his shoulder. He knew her kicks hurt, but her punches too? _That_ was new.

She turned back to look down at the sleeping baby, only to realise that she wasn't sleeping anymore, and was instead smiling up at her as Lucy looked down. A small giggle came from the child when Bickslow came to peer over the edge again, both of their eyes going wide when the small child opened her own eyes.

"Huh?"

"Red?" he mumbled. _Blonde with red eyes? Who the hell has red eyes? Oh… no. No way. No fucking way._

"You have red eyes… She has red eyes… You're here… No one else seems to be here…" Lucy mumbled as she tried to put the pieces together, realising the same as Bickslow obviously as they kept staring down at the child.

Bickslow only glared at her. "No. Don't go there. Don't even _think_ about going there."

"But it kind of makes sense if you think about it like that!"

"Nothing about this makes any sense at all." He continued to glare at Lucy before adding, "But if you're set on saying _that,_ then think about this: the kid is blonde. Who else is blonde and is here right now?" He watched her eyes go wide as her face went a bright red, and he couldn't help but smirk. _Obviously she hadn't thought of that._

"Oh… God no. No way." She took a step back from the crib as his words set in. There was no way. No possible way. No possible way that she had a kid with Bickslow. No way. Impossible.

"Well, I'm going back to bed." Bickslow turned away from the crib and headed back towards the hallway with a yawn. He had no idea what time it was, but he felt like he should be sleeping, and so he was going to go do just that.

She lifted her head as she was brought back from her thoughts, just to watch him walk out of the room. "W-What? Now? Are you insane?" she hissed down the hall. "What about her?" she asked, gesturing to the crib behind her as she stuck her head out the door.

"She's asleep again, if you haven't noticed," came the shout from the other end of the hall, "And besides, maybe when I wake up it will all be over and I'll be back in the guild, drinking myself into oblivion."

Lucy looked down into the crib once again, and sure enough she was back to sleeping peacefully. With a sigh, she switched the light off in the room and closed the door behind her before heading back to the room she had woken up in, where Bickslow was moving around the bed, fixing up the tangled sheets and duvet. She realised how odd it looked, seeing him doing simple things like that. She knew he would have to do them normally – in his own home, of course – but she had never really seen him outside of the guild, so it was weird seeing him in that kind of setting.

"You should probably try and go back to sleep, too," Bickslow said as he finished with the covers, moving over to the side he had woken up on and switching off the lamp and leaving the room slightly darker than before.

"Maybe… But not in here," she mumbled. Maybe he was right, though. Sleep would be good, especially if they had to try and figure out the mess they were in and how they had gotten in it in the first place, and that would probably prove to be difficult if she was lacking sleep… But she still had no intentions of getting back into a bed with Bickslow.

"Think about it this way." He climbed back into the bed, pulling the duvet over him as he slid down. "That kid seems to somehow be _ours_ , which would mean that _I_ somehow managed to get _you_ knocked up. Not to mention that we woke up like this, so in whatever fucked up world we've ended up in, we were sharing a bed to begin with. So really, is it that bad?"

"We don't know that for sure…" she mumbled again as she looked down at her feet. But again he seemed to be right. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the house – wherever that house may be – and the child seemed to have calmed down when she had held her, and laughed when Bickslow had stuck his stupid head over the edge of the railing. Not to mention the fact that she seemed to have pieces of both of them…

Then again, babies all looked the same anyway.

But she really did want to sleep, and surely it couldn't be that bad, especially if it was only going to be for a few hours – or so she hoped. The bed was pretty big, too, so it could have been worse. Only with a sigh of defeat, she quickly made her way over to the free side of the bed, all too aware that Bickslow was watching her. "Just… Stay on that side, okay?" she muttered as she made herself comfortable under the blankets, switching off the lamp on her side and leaving the room in darkness once again.

"Gladly," came the mumbled response from Bickslow.

She could hear him shuffling around, and she could feel the mattress moving as he did so, as well as recognise the war for the blanket they both seemed to be in already. The room soon fell into a silence once again, though. There was no crying, no sound of sheets sliding over another, and no arguing. Lucy could only hope that Bickslow was right about it all being a dream of some sort. As dangerous, loud, and crazy the guild got sometimes, she spent almost all of her free time there, so she had gotten used to it, and she found herself missing it already.

She didn't even understand what was going on, but she knew she didn't like it. She wanted to be back at that hysterical place she called home, and she didn't want to be in this crazy universe where she most likely – but not yet confirmed, she reminded herself – had a kid with Bickslow.

But instead of worrying herself with it anymore, she closed her eyes with a quiet sigh into her pillow and willed herself to sleep, even if it was only going to be for a little while.

* * *

 _ **A/Ns:** I'm removing most of the irrelevant author's notes as I update these chapters (I posted an announcement on my profile but I since deleted it). The ones that are relevant to the story, or are in the later chapters, I'll leave. This shouldn't be too much of a problem, but for old readers and new, I hope you like this version of the chapter better. Old readers won't notice the changes though, but I know they're there so it's okay. ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

Just when he was finally drifting off to sleep, the loud cry of the infant drifted down the hall. Bickslow groaned into the pillow as he pulled himself to the edge of the bed, sluggishly sitting up as he ran his hands down his face. _Still not in the guild. Not a dream. This is real. This is happening. Why the fuck is this happening?_

Bickslow eventually pushed himself up from the bed, straightening his back as he stretched his arms above his head with a yawn before turning around to face the bed again. The room was lighter this time from the small amount of sunlight streaming in through the open curtains in front of him, and he realised it was probably early morning since it had still been dark the last time he had been up. He could see Lucy curled up on the far side of the bed with the top of the blanket pulled over her head, and for a second, his lips were curling up into a smirk.

"She's crying again," he mumbled, still half asleep. Bickslow reached to pick up the pillow on his side to throw it where he assumed her head would be.

"I noticed," Lucy groaned into the pillow as she pulled the duvet tighter. She didn't want to get up. Maybe if she stayed in bed, she could pretend it wasn't happening.

With a sigh, Bickslow headed down the hall again. _She'll get up, right? Who in their right mind would leave me a baby? She'll realise that, and she'll get up._ The man honestly had no idea what to do when it came to kids. He spent most of his time in the guild or with Laxus and the other members of the Raijinshuu, and the only children in the guild were Wendy, Romeo, and Asuka, if he didn't include himself, because he was probably more of a kid than the three of them most of the time.

Reaching the yellow room, he only stared down at the screaming infant, kicking her legs as she stared back up at him. He let an arm dangle lazily over the edge of the railing and his eyes went wide when she moved slightly, as if to try and reach for his hand. Were babies even capable of doing that? _Babies are scary._ The screaming got louder the longer he stood there, and realising that if she could talk, then she would probably be swearing at him to do something.

But that's what Lucy was for. "Are you going to stand there or do something?" she asked as she walked into the room and went over to the crib, giving Bickslow a stern look on the way.

He shrugged as he straightened up. "No idea what to do."

"She probably needs changing or something," she muttered as she reached down pick her up before taking her over to the changing table on the opposite side of the room.

"In that case, I'm out." Bickslow did not want anything to do with _that_. Babies were mostly disgusting – that, he knew. _But speaking of babies…_ _Where the hell are the babies?_

He walked back out into the hall, and looked up and down once. At one end was their bedroom, and at the other, he assumed he'd find the living area, but he wasn't sure since it was still fairly dark. Bickslow walked back down to the bedroom and found the light switch next to the doorframe again and flicked it on, lighting up the room. The bed sat in front of him. The dark frame supporting the mattress that was covered in a patterned grey duvet with white sheets, and simple bedside tables on each side with metal stands with grey lampshades.

Bickslow walked into the room slowly and turned. One on end, on his side of the room, he figured, was the large mirrored wardrobe built in to the wall. The opposite end of the room had just a tall set of drawers in one corner that matched the other furniture, and a grey armchair sat in the other corner and in front of the tall window that was half covered by the black curtains. He made his way over to the window then, and he quickly pushed the curtains all the way back

"Where the hell are we?" he muttered under his breath as he looked out the window. The yellow and orange sky and the sunrise he could just make out wasn't what made him wonder where they were, though. It was the buildings. Bickslow had never seen anything like it: the towering rectangular buildings that were everywhere his eyes could see. His first thought was that they were in Crocus, but he knew that was wrong the instant the thought had popped into his head. He wasn't even sure if he was in _Fiore_ anymore, or even Earthland – he'd only heard stories about Edolas, though.

He focused his attention to the ground. If he placed his forehead on the glass, he could see the streets below. Yellow objects were going along the black pavement, and they reminded him of the magical vehicles that were sometimes used, but he knew they were different somehow.

Bickslow took a step back from the window, turning to look at the door that was next to the chair. He tentatively twisted the handle, pushing the door open slowly. He sighed in relief when he realised it was just a bathroom when he switched the light on. A large tub sat in the corner, with red candles sitting on the edge of it as well as various bottles of what he could only assume were different soaps and lotions. A separate shower sat in the other corner next to the tub and a dark blue towel was hanging on the railing on the glass door.

Next to him was another door, but next to that sat the counter that was cluttered with more bottles of random junk he didn't recognise, and the large mirror sat above it. Bickslow took a step forward, looking at himself in the mirror. He almost didn't recognise himself, but it was definitely himself. The mark was gone, and his hair seemed almost tamer – he didn't like it. The top wasn't as high and was pushed back more, while the sides weren't sticking out as far and were also more pushed back. Shrugging, he only looked around the rest of the bathroom once more before leaving it behind.

Bickslow went through the other door in the room and found himself in the hallway once again. There were four doors in the hallway, he noticed. One he had just come out of; the one to the left led to the nursery where Lucy was still dealing with the crying infant; the one to the right and at the end was the bedroom; and another was opposite him.

 _I wonder what I'll find in here?_ He only pushed the door open, revealing an empty room _. How disappointing_. Bickslow frowned as he walked back into the hallway. He had yet to find his beloved babies, too, which was odd. He could usually feel them – or the souls, really – but he couldn't. He couldn't feel anything.

Straight ahead and opposite the hall he could see a large white door what he assumed was the door to the apartment, but he ignored that for the moment, deciding that he could investigate what was past that door later. To his left was the black lounge, one side of it almost separating the lounge room from the rest of the large room. A glass coffee table – which he thought was strangely dangerous, if there was a kid living there too – was in front of the lounge, and another chest in front of that with some kind of screen – _lacrima-vision, maybe?_

On the wall behind the longer section of the lounge and was a large bookcase that took up that entire wall. The shelves were completely filled with books of all genres and random knick-knacks that he didn't recognise at all, but of what he did know about Lucy, he found himself not being all that surprised that there were so many books. It was like every day he was in the guild, Lucy and Levy had always been raving about some new book series.

Bickslow's gaze shifted to the other wall that was covered entirely by the black curtain then. He moved forward, and carefully pushed back the dark curtains all the way, almost lighting up the entire room once they were open.

He was looking at same sunrise and the same towering buildings and the same mostly yellow vehicles on the street below him. He still didn't understand any of it, and with a sigh he turned around and started heading towards the other side of the large room where the kitchen and the dining area was.

It was only when something caught the corner of his eye that he stopped and looked above the lacrima-vision-like screen. There, on the dark blue wall sat a small shelf with each of his babies. Bickslow jumped over the couch and the coffee table then, and just stared up at them, trying to figure out what was so different about them right then.

 _Something's not right… Where are the souls?_

"Babies?" He stared up at the lifeless dolls, and tried to focus in on the souls that they should contain, but frowned when he couldn't see them. _Why are their souls gone? I'll just have to try something else then._

Bickslow raised his arms, crossing them in front of him as he continued staring up at them. "X Formation! Line formation? Victory formation?!" They sat there motionless as he dropped his arms in defeat and frustration. "Oh, come on!"

And then it occurred to him: the souls weren't gone. His _magic_ was gone. There was no magic, and that was why he couldn't see their souls or command them. It was the only thing that made sense, but he remembered that nothing about their situation made any sense at all, anyway.

Sad and frustrated about his lack of magic, he looked at the black frames that sat on each side of the shelf. The one on the left held gold keys, while the one on the right held silver keys. _Are they Celestial Spirit keys? Why are these the only things that are here?_

His thoughts were interrupted as Lucy came down the hallway, looking extremely pissed off and tired. "Can you hold her for a second?" She asked as she walked up to him, holding her out in front of her.

Bickslow froze. He'd never held a baby in his life. _What if she breaks? Can they even break? God damn it, who the hell would trust me with a kid?_ "Uh… How?" he mumbled as he lifted his arms hesitantly.

"Hold her under her arms like this."

He did as she said, raising his arms so that he could grab the child under the arms and just below where Lucy's hands sat. He was holding her in the air, staring back at the face of the child that could possibly be his but at the same time wasn't _his_. It was a weird feeling to say the least.

"Okay, now pull her close to you so she's resting on your chest."

"Right…" he murmured, moving his arms so that he was pulling her closer. He unconsciously moved one arm so that it wrapped around her back and the other moved lower, supporting her bottom as she basically sat in his hand. Well... Sort of.

Lucy nodded, apparently approving the way he was holding her before she turned around and headed into the kitchen. Just slightly out of curiosity, Bickslow looked down at the tiny face that was resting on his shoulder as he moved his arms again slightly, only making sure that he wasn't going to drop her any time soon. He was pretty sure Lucy would actually kill him if he did. Slowly walking towards the kitchen on the other side of the room, he just watched Lucy go through all of the cupboards and drawers in search of something, apparently.

Suddenly, the infant started crying again though, and he looked back down at the tiny human. "H-Hey, stop crying, come on. Don't do that," he pleaded as he looked back up to Lucy for help.

"She's probably hungry," Lucy said over the crying as she opened another cupboard, pulling out a large tin. "Baby formula?" she mumbled under her breath as she spun it around to read the back of it.

He continued watching as she rushed around the kitchen, looking through every cupboard and cabinet for something. It gave Bickslow time to continue looking around the room, trying his best to ignore the incredibly loud crying in his ear. The cupboards and cabinets were white while the countertops were a black marble – pretty nice kitchen, he had to admit. The sink was in the middle of the island, while behind it sat the rest of the kitchen, with the fridge at the end of the breakfast bar.

On the other side of that half of the room sat the dining table. The dark table matched the chairs, and the grey fabric on the chairs matched the stools at the bar. Down one end of the table sat a highchair instead of another chair, which, Bickslow also had to admit, wasn't that surprising. He looked towards the back of the room towards the small office nook. Shelves with more books and random pieces of junk he'd never seen in his life littered the shelves while the desk was neat and organised.

"Alright, I think this will work for now." Bickslow turned at the voice and saw the blonde place a small bottle on the counter before she walked towards him to take the small girl from him, cradling her in her own arms once again.

He watched as she picked the bottle up, holding it above the child. The crying seemed to stop as soon as she realised what it was, and her own tiny hands reached up to grab at it. Bickslow took a seat on one of the stools, resting his head in his palm as he watched in… amazement – or something close to it.

"Wow," was all he could say as he swivelled on the stool, turning to look at the wall behind the dining table. The dark blue wall was covered in framed photographs of all different sizes and styles of frame, but his focus was instantly drawn to the one in the centre as he got up and walked over to it.

It was him. And Lucy. Well, it was him kissing Lucy, which was making his head hurt. It was black and white, but he knew what he looked like and he knew what she looked it and it was definitely them, or their twins or something. Everything was too confusing. But maybe the scariest part about that particular photo was the fact that he was wearing a suit, and she was in a wedding dress. That meant they got married. They had a wedding. They were married.

 _Married?!_

He looked down at his left hand, instantly hating himself for not noticing the plain dark band that sat on his finger. Bickslow looked over his shoulder and looked at Lucy's hand and immediately noticed the rings that sat on _her_ finger. The larger one caught his attention first with its large princess cut stone in the centre, while the band was inlaid with smaller ones. _Damn, I proposed with that? Good job, me._ The other one which he could only assume was her wedding ring was similar to the other one, just without the larger diamond in the middle.

Lucy looked up when she noticed Bickslow was staring at her. "What is it?" Bickslow looked back up, and raised his hand and pointed to the grey ring on his finger. "W-What?" she shrieked as she looked her left hand to look at the rings on her own finger that she hadn't noticed.

"Yeah. Apparently we're married or something, I guess. This really is a fucked up world." Bickslow mumbled as he turned to look at the other photographs. Most of them seemed to be from holidays or trips or something that they had gone on _together_ , and he noticed that they actually looked happy together. _As a couple._

 _This is too weird_.

On one side of the black and white wedding picture sat another wedding photo, but it was of everyone, he guessed. He moved in closer, just to get a better look at it. Bickslow and Lucy were in the middle of the large group, looking happy as they all stood on a beach. _We had a beach wedding?_ Laxus, Freed, and Gajeel stood just behind him in the photograph, while Erza, Mira, and Levy stood behind Lucy.

"So we had a beach wedding, huh?"

Bickslow turned to see Lucy standing next to him and looking up at the photos with him. He nodded as he pointed to the photo on the other side of centre wedding photo. "Look at that one."

They both moved slightly to stare up at it. It was them, again, but this time it was with the tiny human that the blonde was holding. He was kissing Lucy's forehead, while she kissed the baby's that they held between them. Bickslow didn't know what to do, or think, or feel. By the looks of it, he was married to Lucy, and they kid was definitely theirs – well, a version of them at least.

"How does it feel to wake up knowing you're a mother?" he mumbled as he continued staring at the photos. Most of them were actually pretty sweet, even he would admit that. It was just strange seeing himself in all of them when it wasn't even really him.

"How does it feel to wake up knowing you're a dad?"

"Fucking terrible."

Lucy sighed as she looked down to the infant in her arms. She was a mother. She was married, and this kid was more or less hers. Sort of. "At least we have a cute kid." She forced a smile.

"She's not really ours though." Bickslow turned to look down at the two. _She's… kind of cute, I guess._ "Well, she seems like it, but it's not _us_."

"You're right, but something tells me that it is us now." She wasn't really sure how she knew, but everything was so different for some strange reason she really wanted to know, and even if they were just there on a temporary basis, at the very least, they had to act like the kid was theirs. Until she had her real parents back, anyway. But her forced smiled turned to a frown as she went to sit on one of the chairs at the table behind her. "Have you seen any keys around?"

"They're framed over there." He pointed towards the lounge room. "They'll be no use, though. There's no magic."

Lucy sighed as she looked down again. "I figured as much."

Bickslow took the seat opposite the two and went back to watching them, and he couldn't help but notice the way that Lucy would smile weakly whenever the infant in her arms smiled or made some kind of noise.

In that world, he had married Lucy and they had a daughter. He was never going to get his head around that. Ever.

He'd only been in this world for a few hours, but he already knew he didn't like it. He didn't like that he couldn't recognise anything; he didn't like that he didn't know where they were; he didn't like the strange objects that covered the entire apartment; and he didn't like that he had a life in this world. A happy life, to top it off.

But nothing about this situation was making him happy. More than anything, he wanted it to be a dream or at least an incredibly well-thought prank that even _he_ couldn't pull off, but he knew it wasn't.

Maybe Lucy was right, though. Maybe that it was supposed to _them_ now, but he didn't how that could even be possible to begin with.

He just didn't understand any of it.

* * *

 _ **A/Ns:** First few chapters are just a little boring, I'll admit that. They're short though, unlike the later chapters. This story does get better though. I promise. ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

Eventually, they had gotten 'Lucks' down for a nap. At some point that morning, Bickslow had started calling the child _Lucks_ for some stupid reason. When Lucy questioned it, he had simply shrugged and said it was just the 'Lu' from Lucy and 'cks' from Bickslow, and that's how the name Lucks came to be born.

Bickslow had been messing around in the kitchen while Lucy had a shower. He'd figured out that the _'giant steel box thing'_ held cold food, while the drawer at the bottom froze food. The _'smaller rectangular box thing'_ heated up food as it spun around in a circle, and the _'white jug thing'_ that sat on one of the other counters boiled water if a button was pressed. The only thing left to figure out was the stove, but Bickslow had already half figured that out since it was the only thing a kitchen would still need. Things were just so different in that world. It was scary.

But the point was that he'd figured out how to make coffee, and that made him incredibly happy. He would have spiked it with something, but he had yet to find where they hid the alcohol, if they had any at all.

Down in the bedroom, Lucy only stood in the fluffy towel with her hair dripping down her back and staring at the open wardrobe in front of her. One side seemed to be hers, and the other Bickslow's, but the first thing she noticed was that all of the clothes were weird. Well, they weren't _that_ weird, but they weren't what she was used to wearing.

But it wasn't like they were bad, and she _had_ to get dressed, too. It just took her a while to pick out what to wear.

It was only when she was pulling on her shirt as she looked in the mirror that Lucy noticed that it was not _her_ body. She knew it well, so she was fairly confident that this was not the body of an eighteen-year-old – well, probably. She doubted she was still eighteen in that world anyway, considering she was apparently married and had a kid… But her usual flat and toned stomach wasn't as taut, and for just a small thing, Lucy had to try not to fall over or start crying, because it meant that they were in the bodies of their _counterparts_ , or something like that. And the figure that she worked so hard on (most of the time) was gone. If only Capricorn could see her then…

But it seemed to _really_ occur to Lucy then, that in that world, she'd had a kid. In that world, she'd been pregnant, probably not even a year earlier, and had given birth to her, too. The thought made her shiver and want to cry. But then again, Lucy was just glad _she_ hadn't had to do it.

* * *

"Alright, so what do we know so far?" Lucy asked as she sat down on the lounge and stared up at the keys framed on the wall.

"The Bickslow and Lucy of _this_ world are married, and they have a kid," Bickslow said, taking a seat next to her and staring up at the tikis on the shelf.

She nodded. "Right. So there's no magic in this world either, and somehow we ended up becoming the Lucy and Bickslow of this world."

"Which explains why my mark is gone…"

"Right." Lucy turned on the lounge to look around the room again before eyeing the pin-up board that was next to the desk on the other side of the room. "Find out anything else about her _?_ " she asked, pushing herself up from the lounge and heading over to the desk.

"You mean Lucks?" Bickslow questioned, following behind her.

"Her name isn't Lucks!"

"But what if it actually is?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt that. There's no way the me of this world would let you name our daughter _Lucks_."

He froze. _Our daughter._ Genetically and biologically it was correct – probably – but it wasn't _them_. Bickslow shook his head, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the counter and watched Lucy begin to go through the folders on the desk. "What are you looking for anyway?"

"I don't know. There has to be something here about her. Name? Birthday? There just _has_ to be."

Bickslow lifted his hand to look at the watch that he'd found on the nightstand while he had been getting dressed. Seeing that it read 10:34 a.m., he sighed. This was definitely way earlier than he was used to getting up, and he really didn't like it.

He moved over to stand before the pin-up board behind Lucy as she continued rifling through things. There were a few pieces of paper on it, most of them bills or receipts for things, he figured, but he didn't pay much attention to them. Amongst the bills there was a single photograph, though, and that drew Bickslow's attention. He removed the pin, pulling the photo off the board and looked at it closely. It was Lucy holding who he presumed was Lucks (whatever her actual name was), but smaller. And red. A tinier and redder version of Lucks. Lucy was smiling as she held her in her arms, and she looked tired. Like how you look when you've run from one end of Magnolia to the other. Twice.

But she was still smiling, and she was smiling at the tiny human. Bickslow looked to the bottom corner of the photo, seeing the orange date that was stamped on it: _21/09/2014_. _Maybe that was the day she was born?_ People were supposed to be happy when they have kids, right? And Lucy sure looked happy.

"Hey, look at this," he mumbled as he handed her the photo.

"Is that…?" She looked up at Bickslow before looking down at the photograph in her hands again.

Bickslow nodded. "I think so. But look at the date in the corner."

" _2014_? How is that even possible…" she murmured. "So that must be her birthday? Do we know the date for today? That way we'll be able to find out how old she actually is."

"I honestly have no idea what day of the week it is half the time, let alone the actual date."

"That's… sad," Lucy sighed as she shook her head, placing the photo on a pile of papers she had already gone through.

Bickslow shrugged as he turned and started heading towards the lounge again "That's what Freed is for—" He was interrupted as there was a knock on the door to the apartment, and they both turned to stare at it before each other. "Who the hell is that?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Lucy hissed as she hid behind him.

Bickslow got to the door, his hand resting on the handle as he peered through the small peephole and out into the hall. The distorted image of a woman with long black hair who looked to be in her late fifties could be seen. He looked over his shoulder to the blonde hiding behind him. "It's an old lady."

Lucy straightened up slightly, blushing as she realised that she was scared of who or what could have been on the other side of the door. "Oh." She cleared her throat. "Open it, then." She figured it might be one of the neighbours or something.

"If you say so…" He pulled the door open slowly, revealing the smiling face of the woman.

"Ah, good morning, Bickslow and Lucy!" The woman looked over the two, noticing the apprehension on their faces. "Oh, you two. Don't look like that! I only came to see if you were done with that dish from the lasagne!"

"Lasagne?" Lucy blinked. "Ah… Yes, of course. I can't remember where I put it, though… You'll have to forgive me," she said sheepishly, looking down at the floor for a moment.

"Not a problem," the other woman said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Do you mind if I come in and search for it?"

Lucy looked to Bickslow who seemed to just be standing motionless in the doorframe, and she didn't think he'd even blinked once since the door had opened. She forced a smile and turned to face the woman again. "Sure, Mrs…?" She blushed, realising that she didn't know her name. "I'm sorry, my memory as of late has been terrible. You know, kid and all…" Lucy stepped aside, pulling Bickslow so the woman could enter the apartment.

The woman laughed as she headed straight for the kitchen. "Not to worry, Lucy. I couldn't even remember my _own_ name half the time when mine were that young. I take it Ingrid has been keeping you up again?"

"Ingrid?" Bickslow finally blinked as he closed the door, watching the woman curiously as she moved to the cupboards below the sink. _Who the hell was Ingrid?_

"Oh, not you too!" she laughed again. "I keep saying that Mark and I are able to watch her occasionally when you two need to get some rest, and it looks like it's much needed! You two are beginning to worry us, you know." She pulled out a red rectangular dish from the dishwasher that neither of them knew existed. "Ah, here it is!"

 _Ingrid…_ "Oh, you mean Lucks?"

The woman rolled her eyes as she looked at the blonde. "Lucy, you're not still letting him call her that, are you?"

Bickslow just about choked on the air he had been breathing. _So he did call her Lucks after all! Interesting…_

"No, I'm not. He can try, though..." Lucy said, shooting Bickslow a stern look as he made an effort to look at the ceiling. It was at that moment Lucy had a brilliant idea, though. The woman seemed to know about the Lucy and Bickslow of that world, and she seemed to be friends with them (I mean, she was giving them lasagne), so why not get to learn about themselves and the mysterious woman in the kitchen at the same time? "Would you like to stay for tea or something?"

It was Bickslow's turn to look at Lucy, giving her a look as if to say _'what are you doing?'_ but it went unnoticed. She was planning something and he knew it.

The woman's eyes lit up. "Oh, that would be lovely! We haven't had a chance to do that for a while!" She placed the dish on the counter next to the sink. "Do you mind if I go see Ingrid for a second? That little face of hers is such a delight to see."

"She's asleep right n—" Bickslow had started, but as if on cue the tiny human started crying, leaving Bickslow to drop his head in defeat.

Lucy headed towards the nursery but the black-haired woman jumped in her path quickly. "Please, you look exhausted. Let me get her, Lucy," Another bright smile and the woman headed off into _Ingrid's_ room, leaving both Bickslow and Lucy dumbfounded in the living area.

As Lucy began to get mugs from one cabinet, Bickslow only leaned on the counter next to her and asked in a hushed tone, "Alright, what are you up to?"

Lucy shrugged. "She seems to know the us of this world, so maybe we can find out more about it? And besides, we now know that her name is Ingrid, so you can stop calling her Lucks."

* * *

They all sat on the lounge a little while later. Lucy was pretending to understand what the woman whose name she had yet to find out was talking about, while Bickslow sat on the floor with his back against the lounge. He had apparently been tasked with watching Ingrid – he really did prefer Lucks – while she played with a small stuffed rabbit. He watched while she made the weird noises that babies do, trying to figure out how repeatedly hitting a stuffed rabbit on the floor – when she managed to pick it up for a second – or pushing it around could be entertaining. _Babies are weird_.

Lucy looked down at Ingrid for a moment before she turned back to the woman next to her. "I feel incredibly stupid and embarrassed about this, but your name appears to have slipped my mind today…" She blushed as she lowered her head, looking down into the almost empty mug in her hand.

The woman laughed. "Lack of sleep really does a number on you, huh? And I prefer Claire, dear. Remember?"

"Right… Claire. Of course. I'm so sorry about that…" Lucy mumbled.

"Anyway, I hope you two managed to get some quiet time at some point yesterday, unless _that's_ why you were up all night."

Lucy looked up just in time to see Claire wink with a sly grin on her face. "Huh?" _What is she talking about?_

"Oh, come on. You're young, and it was Valentine's Day. I was young too… Once."

Bickslow actually choked on the air that time, only deciding to stare out the window until he regained his composure. _Valentine's Day. Quiet time. Sex with Cosplayer._ _Damn it, Bicks._ _The **one** time you **shouldn't**_ _be thinking of sex with Cosplayer._ _Well… at least this world's Bicks managed to get with her. Wait… I've **become** this world's Bicks. Oh god. Stop thinking already. _

"Oh…" was all Lucy managed to get out. She didn't want to think about what Claire had just insinuated. Not at all. The only good thing that had come out of that was the date, so they at least knew a little about the tiny human on the floor.

"Changing subject, please…" Bickslow muttered as he turned to watch Ingrid.

"Not like you to get shy and embarrassed, Bickslow."

"Yeah, well..."

"Anyway," Claire turned to face Lucy again as she placed her empty cup on the coffee table. "We're having a few people over for dinner next Friday so I thought I'd invite you over if you're not busy."

Suddenly, the loud ring of a phone from down the hall was heard. Both Bickslow and Lucy turned to face the hall as they both wondered what it was. The blonde turned back around, not realising what to do about the sound, and she shrugged and forced a smile as she said, "Uh, yeah. Maybe. I'll let you know if we can make it."

"Fair enough." Claire turned to Bickslow with an eyebrow raised. "You know you can go and answer it, right?"

"Huh?" Bickslow turned. _Answer it? What is she talking about?_

"The phone…"

"Phone?"

"Oh my gosh, are you okay, Bickslow?" Claire laughed quietly. The two were definitely being odd that day. "Someone's phone is ringing down the hall. It's okay."

"Oh… Right." He got up and made his way down the hall quickly, realising the sound was coming from the bedroom. _Phone? What the hell is a phone?!_

Claire turned to face the blonde once again once Bickslow was no longer visible in the hall. "Are you doing okay, Lucy? You two seem almost like different people today."

Lucy sighed when she saw the genuine concern on the woman's face. She was obviously a friend in this world. Lucy didn't know how to answer the question, though. It wasn't like you could just say, _'oh, you know, we're not actually the same people. We're actually the Lucy and Bickslow of a completely different world.'_

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little tired, I guess," she answered instead. It wasn't exactly far from the truth, because she was tired. She had no idea how long she had slept for, and she hadn't really managed to get back to sleep after the early morning wake-up call.

* * *

Bickslow walked into the bedroom since that was where the sound was coming from. He walked over to the nightstand and spotted the small rectangular object that was vibrating on the table whilst flashing. He picked it up carefully and looked at the lit-up screen. There was a picture of a lightning bolt with the words ' _Boss_ _Man'_ under it, and then a green rectangle with ' _Accept'_ and red with ' _Decline'_.

 _Boss Man? Lightning bolt? Fuck it, I'll press the green one._

Bickslow pressed the green button on the screen, but he didn't know what to do with it so he continued staring at it. The screen had changed, showing a timer and a few other buttons with ' _Speaker'_ and ' _Mute'_.

He heard a familiar voice coming from the object after a moment. "Bicks?"

"Huh? Laxus?" Bickslow stared down at the black object in his hand.

"Put the fucking phone to your ear, you moron," He shouted, making Bickslow flinch slightly. _Yup, definitely Laxus._

Bickslow moved the phone to his ear. "Laxus?" he said again.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you're just as confused about this as everyone else is. Where are you now?"

"Everyone else? And I have no idea where I am. All I can see are these giant buildings if I look out a window." Bickslow moved to the large window in the bedroom.

"Right. Anyway, can you see a sign that says _'M. Banking'_ anywhere?"

"Uh…" Bickslow looked at all of the buildings. There were a few with billboards or signs on the top of them, and there were a few that he couldn't see the top of. "Hang on," he mumbled as he walked out of the room and headed towards the lounge room again. Ignoring the look that Lucy was giving him, he moved over towards the windows in the room. It was mostly the same as the other room, but he could see more towards one side. In the distance, he could just make out the sign he was looking for. "Yeah, I can see it."

"So we're in the same building then. Anyway, we need to talk and figure this whole thing out. Come up to the top floor now."

"Top floor?" Bickslow asked as he walked back towards the bedroom, taking a seat on the bed as he continued to listen.

"We're in an apartment building, you moron. These ones are just a lot bigger. There's a lift in the hall. Just go to it and go to the top floor, okay?" There was a beep as Laxus hung up, leaving Bickslow slightly confused as he moved the phone from his ear and stared at the screen that had the time and a picture of Ingrid.

"Yes, boss…" he muttered under his breath as he stood up, placing the phone in his back pocket and remembering just how uncomfortable the jeans were – he questioned why he would wear jeans so tight, and there seemed to be about twenty different pairs in the drawers with the rest of his clothes. He had honestly been a little disappointed at the clothing choices. If he could, he would have gone with what he usually wore, but of course that was nowhere to be found.

He was about to walk out the door to the apartment when Lucy looked up from where she sat on the floor next to Ingrid. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To talk to Laxus."

"Wait, _our_ Laxus?" She raised an eyebrow.

"The _real_ Laxus, so yes."

"Is that who was on the… phone?" Bickslow nodded "Hold on, I want to go too, especially if it's about _this,_ " she said. Lucy stood up then leaned down to pick up Ingrid, holding her against her chest as she looked over Lucy's shoulder, seemingly interested in the new view.

"O-kay…" He opened the door before he turned to face Lucy again. "Well, he said to go to the top floor once you get in the lift, so I'll see you there, I suppose."

Lucy rolled her eyes as Claire stood up and made her way over to the door after Bickslow had already left. "I guess that's my cue to leave!" she smiled.

"Sorry about that." Lucy spied the keys that were sitting on a small table next to the door and picked them up, hoping that the key to the door would be one of the many keys there. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Lucy pulled the door closed behind her, holding Ingrid tight with one arm while she fiddled with the keys in the door until she found the right one. Hearing the 'click' as it locked, she turned to face the smiling woman. "It's probably going to be a weird question, but…" She bit her lip before continuing, "What exactly do you know about us? I mean like… Bickslow and I, and Ingrid, I guess."

Claire looked down at the rectangular dish in her hands as they both made their way over to her own apartment which was just across the hall. "Certainly is a weird question…"

"Sorry… It's a bit of an interesting situation right now, and it's hard to explain. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. But just, say you were trying to describe us to someone who didn't know us, I guess, if that helps."

"No, it's fine." Claire paused as she considered the question. "Well, I guess I don't know everything about the two of you. If my memory serves me correct, you moved in just after you got married which was nearly two years ago now, I think. You told me how you two first met and how he proposed, and oh, it was so sweet. Then Ingrid came along last year… Anyway, you have somewhere to be so I shall not keep you waiting any longer!" The woman pushed open the door to her apartment as she smiled once again at the blonde. "Bye-bye, Ingrid!" She waved as the door closed behind her, leaving Lucy standing in the hall.

"Right…" Lucy mumbled as she looked up and down the hall. Bickslow was gone, but she could see a sign pointing to the lift. so she headed towards that _. Bickslow, sweet? Yeah, right. Maybe in_ **_this_** _world. The Lucy of this world would have to be insane to marry that idiot anyway._

* * *

 _ **A/Ns:** To Kurahieiritr JIO, let's just say the 'other' Bickslow and Lucy are freaking out. I haven't planned to do a chapter/any parts with them, but we'll see how it goes, I guess. It could be interesting. They'll be mentioned in later chapters for sure, though. (Edit for the updated chapter: there will be a side-story at some point that does focus on the 'other' BixLu.) _


	4. Chapter 4

Bickslow stepped out of the lift and into a small room with two small lounges and a plant in the corner. There was an archway opposite the elevator, and he cautiously moved towards it.

"Laxus?" he called out as he walked through the archway.

"Over here," came the reply.

Bickslow stepped into the large open living space. The place was _nice_ , and Bickslow came to the conclusion it wasn't all that surprising that the magic-less Dragon Slayer would end up in the nicest apartment out of everyone, most likely. Bickslow walked over to the large L-shaped lounge that could probably seat way too many people, and looked towards wall with the tall windows as he slowly moved forward. The view from that floor was much nicer than the one in the other apartment. He could actually see the tops of some of the other buildings.

Laxus and Mirajane stood in front of the modern fireplace that sat in the middle of the room; dividing what was essentially the dining room that had a large rectangular glass table with yellow and black leather chairs, and the lounge room with the dark grey sofas.

Bickslow honestly never thought he would be so glad to see Evergreen or Freed – well, it was mostly Evergreen. Freed was okay. Evergreen was sitting on one of the stools at the large black counter while Freed stood just next to her. Bickslow raised an eyebrow as he looked at the woman. "No glasses?"

"No magic," she sighed and Bickslow shrugged.

He looked at everyone else in the room. Laxus seemed to be wearing the exact same clothes he usually did (he even had the coat and all), while Mira had on a burgundy sundress with white polka dots that matched the white flats she had on. Erza's high waisted navy skirt sat over the black sleeveless blouse, and Elfman sat on the end of the lounge next to her. The black shirt he had on looked like it was about to burst at the seams at any point, and Bickslow was a little relieved to see that he wasn't the giant 'beast' in that world. Granted, he was still massive, but not _as_ massive. He was a little less terrifying, really.

He turned, walking over to where Evergreen sat near Freed and took the seat at the counter next to her. It was probably the first time he had seen her in something other than a green dress, too – she'd always liked her dresses, but he had to admit the shorts and the tank top suited her just as well.

Freed, on the other hand, probably surprised Bickslow the most. His long hair that was usually tied low was shorter and messily tied up in a high ponytail. The usual red coat he had on had been replaced by red sweater that he had rolled up to his sleeves, and wore grey jeans that looked as equally uncomfortable as Bickslow's.

Bickslow grinned. "Nice hair."

"I can say the same about you." He folded his arms across his chest before he turned to face Laxus. "Who else are we waiting on now?" Freed asked.

"Gajeel is on his way." Laxus mumbled.

"Gray and Juvia are apparently on their way, too," Erza chimed in. "But I still haven't been able to get hold of Natsu."

"He's probably on a rampage by now or doesn't know how to answer the phone."

Mira smiled slightly, "Lucy wouldn't let him do that. Has anyone seen or heard anything about Lucy? If we can find her, we'll have Natsu, too. Lisanna should be here soon as well."

"Uh…" Bickslow rubbed the back of his head. He hadn't really thought about why the Bickslow and Lucy of that world were married, rather than _Natsu_ and Lucy. Almost everyone in the guild was waiting for the day that one of them realised that they obviously liked each other, but it hadn't happened. But that was in _their_ world. What was so different about the world they were in now? Why was it him instead of Natsu? "About tha—"

"Jesus, Shrimp. Move a little faster, would ya?" Everyone turned or looked in the direction of the two walking through the archway.

"Shut up already!" the small woman shouted as they got closer. "Oh, thank god. I need to sit down." Everyone was staring with their eyes wide and mouths open, except Mira. Mira was most likely internally screaming with delight at the sight. A very pregnant Levy had just taken a seat on the lounge as Gajeel stood just behind the lounge, holding a black and white cat in his arms. His usually long and wild hair was almost the same, instead it ended just above his shoulders. He even had the orange headband he had taken a liking to, and all of the piercings were still there, bar the ones on his arms.

Before anyone could get back to wondering where anyone else was, Gray and Juvia had walked through the archway. Juvia was clinging to Gray's arm as she smiled up at him as he tried to escape her grasp, only for it to fail dismally and end with Gray getting himself pulled tighter.

"So that just leaves Natsu, Lucy, and Lisanna," Freed murmured as he turned to face the counter that was littered with books and papers.

Bickslow swivelled in his chair, looking over the messy counter. _Did Freed turn into Levy in this world?_ "What's all this?"

"Research."

"Research? Damn, how long have you even been awake for?" Bickslow mumbled. He shouldn't have been surprised that Freed would be getting all the information about the situation that he possibly could, since he had always done that. There was a reason he was the leader of the Thunder God Tribe – even if it was self-proclaimed.

"Since about six."

"Oh, Lucy! You're here!" Levy had turned her head as the blonde walked into the room, her eyes going wide as she saw the blonde baby that was held against her hip.

"Huh? Lucy? Where's Natsu?" Erza asked as everyone else turned to look in that direction.

"Natsu? Natsu's not here?" Lucy blinked as her eyes scanned over everyone in the room. The rest of her team was there, but the namesake wasn't. _Where's Natsu?_

Mira's smile turned into a slight frown as she walked over to the blonde. "We assumed you'd be with Natsu here…"

"Uh…"

Bickslow suddenly felt his cheeks heat up as he turned in the stool once again and dropped his head. "That's what I was about to mention before Gajeel and Lev—"

"Sorry we're late!" the youngest Strauss said breathlessly as she ran into her room with her face slightly flushed.

Once again, everyone had turned towards the archway Lisanna had just come through with Natsu walking just behind her, a scowl on his face. The blue cat sitting atop his pink hair was meowing. Bickslow could only drop his head as they walked in. _Not the end of the world if it doesn't get explained, right? It's probably not even important._

"Come on, Natsu!" Lisanna smiled as she pulled Natsu's folded arms from his chest, grabbing one of his hands in the process as she pulled them closer to the group gathered around the lounge.

Lucy couldn't help but feel the pang of jealousy course through here as she watched the two, and she didn't entirely know why. Natsu was her best friend as well as part of her family, and it wasn't like she had feelings for the Dragon Slayer, so why was she feeling that way? She should just be happy that her friends were here, and she wasn't entirely alone in this new world and wasn't stuck with just Bickslow.

"So is that everyone?" Freed looked up from the book he had been reading.

"I don't feel like inviting any more people into my apparent home, so yes," Laxus mumbled, folding his arms across his chest once again.

"I guess I'll go find Cana then." Mira turned and disappeared down a hall to the side of the kitchen as everyone else moved to take a seat on the lounge. Lucy had taken a seat next to Levy, and her eyes went wide as she realised that the former Script mage was very pregnant. She had been about to ask when Levy just shook her head, apparently not wanting to talk about it. Gray and Juvia had sat next to Lucy, while Gajeel remained standing behind Levy, and Lisanna had pulled Natsu to sit next to Elfman. The Thunder God Tribe remained seated on the stools, and Laxus stood with Erza in front of the fireplace that sat in the middle of the room. Who had deemed those two the leaders, everyone else couldn't help but wonder.

Everyone was looking around at each other, observing the differences that each had from their 'original' selves. They were just small things here and there. For most, it was the hair. For Laxus, it was the scar, being less defined and slightly smaller, but still there. For Evergreen, the lack of glasses that she had to wear, lest she turn everyone she looks in the eyes to stone. For Bickslow, it was the figure that sat across the middle of his face.

But everyone was still the same person, personality wise at least. They might not look exactly the same, but it was still them. It was just a different version of them. But how they all came to be in that mess was still a mystery.

A loud whistle came the other end of the kitchen. "Damn, Levy."

"Cana…" Mira sighed as she moved to stand beside Laxus once again, and Cana stumbled over to the lounge to sit on the other side of Levy, only to frown when she looked down at her empty hands.

"Hey, where'd it go?" she said with a frown. Laxus raised his arm, shaking the bottle of wine gently that Cana had apparently been drinking from before. "How'd you get that?"

Laxus just rolled his eyes before he moved to place the bottle on the coffee table. "You're too drunk to even notice someone taking a bottle straight from your hands."

"I'm not drunk."

"You were sitting on the bathroom floor, rubbing a towel across your face while meowing," Mira had said with a slight giggle.

"…I was not," Cana muttered, and she blushed slightly as she sunk into the couch.

"Anyway," Freed cleared his throat. "Shall we begin now?"

Erza nodded from where she stood as Laxus just grunted his usual version of 'yes' that Freed had come to understand. The former Runes mage picked up a notebook from the counter before he moved to stand next to Laxus at the front.

"So as you're all aware, we seem to have found ourselves in a bit of a situation as of this morning."

"You can say that again…" Gajeel muttered under his breath.

"Firstly, I'd like to point out that we are still in Magnolia." A few gasps from people around the room could be heard before he continued, "But obviously not the Magnolia that _we_ know. From my research into this this morning, I've been able to determine a few other things. One being that we appear to be in an entirely different age, being that the current year is _2015_ , and the other being that everyone you see here is essentially your counterpart."

"So we've basically become our counterparts somehow?" Gray asked.

Freed nodded. "Correct. For now, we'll call this world Magnolia 2.0 to save the confusion, but that is what appears to have happened. Personality wise, you are you, but your bodies are that of your Magnolia 2.0 counterpart which is why some of you will notice the minute differences in details between yourselves." He turned a page in his notebook, quickly scanning over his neatly written handwriting on the page before looking back up at the group.

"It is unknown whether this is a spell of sorts, or a form of illusory magic, but we do know that it has only had an effect on those that were in the guild yesterday afternoon. Or at least that is what seems to have happened, at least. We haven't been able to get in contact with everyone, obviously."

"Jet and Droy were out on a job yesterday," Levy said quietly.

Erza folded her arms as she looked down at the ground. "Wendy and Carla were with Porlyusica, I believe."

"Gramps was at another meeting," Laxus shrugged.

Freed nodded again. "So if anyone were to come across any of those people in this world, they would completely be the Magnolia 2.0 version of themselves, and the Magnolia 2.0 versions of yourselves may or may not have formed their own relationships with them."

"Speaking of relationships, I need to address the elephant in the room here before my head explodes – well, elephants, really," Laxus chimed in again. "Who the fuck got Levy knocked up, and whose kid is that?" He said, gesturing to Levy and Lucy on the lounge as everyone turned their attention to the two women sitting next to each other on the lounge.

"Um…" Levy sank into the couch some more.

"I was about to mention that some of our counterparts appear to have formed closer… relationships with each other." Freed flushed slightly as he looked down at his notebook some more before clearing his throat and continuing, "But so far they seem linked to those in our world."

Bickslow brought a hand up to his forehead. Nothing about it was making sense, and based on what Freed had said, he really should not have been the one to marry Lucy in Magnolia 2.0. The thought that they'd had a one-night stand at some point had briefly crossed his mind, and had tried putting the fact they were married down to him getting her pregnant in the process and then marrying her to be a good guy or something. But he knew that he wouldn't do that in any world, ever.

So why the fuck was he with Lucy in this world?

"Maybe she doesn't know who it was?" Erza blinked, seemingly thinking it was perfectly reasonable for Levy to not know who the father was.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the room had disagreed as they all shot her a look that made the red-head blush and look down. "She knows who it was," came the slurred response from Cana.

Gajeel was subconsciously hugging the cat tighter than he should have been, and everyone's attention turned to him as the cat made meowed loudly before it escaped from his grasp and jumped onto the lounge before the ground and sat next to Levy's feet. "Lily, you traitor," he mumbled before he folded his arms across his chest again, looking out the windows that took up the entire wall.

"It's…" Levy sighed, then said quietly, "In this world, the Gajeel and Levy are together…"

"Fuckin' twins!" Gajeel suddenly shouted, causing Lucy to flinch and Ingrid beginning to whimper. "I'm gonna kill myself if this shit doesn't get sorted out," he finished in a slightly quieter voice.

Lucy got up from the lounge as she noticed Ingrid. She'd seen that face on Asuka when her and Natsu had been watching her occasionally, and she knew that she was about to cry, and Lucy didn't want to have to deal with that in front of everyone else. And as soon as she began walking towards the arch, Ingrid began crying in her ear.

"That was your fault, Gajeel," Levy said as she tilted her head back to look at Gajeel with narrowed eyes.

"Was not," Gajeel muttered.

"Well then… since we've established Gajeel can still make kids cry—" Laxus began.

"Hey!"

"—and Lucy isn't going to tell us whose kid it is until she's sorted that out, let's talk about something else."

The room was silent for a moment as everyone looked around at each other, waiting for someone to think of something to talk about. The cry of Ingrid could be heard from the next room before Juvia spoke up, "Juvia and Gray are engaged!"

"Only in this world." Gray turned his head away as he tried to shuffle out of Juvia's grasp once again, but she had tightened her grip to rest her head on his shoulder, leaving Gray to sigh in defeat. He wasn't going to get out of that one any time soon.

"Alright then… Let's find out who fucks who in this world then, shall we?" Laxus smirked as a few people around the room blushed, namely Erza and Levy.

"Elfman and I are apparently married," Evergreen scoffed with distaste as she glared at Elfman across the room, only for him to grunt and fold his arms as he looked away.

"Gray must sleep with Juvia, then," Juvia said, smiling dreamily up at the man she was latched on to, only for him to groan before bringing his head down to rest in his palm, shaking his head slightly.

Laxus rolled his eyes, apparently already bored with the two of them. "Yes, we've established that."

"Natsu and I are married!"

Everyone turned to stare at Lisanna who was smiling as she held up her hand, showing the gold band on her finger. Natsu had sunk into the back of the couch as the blue cat remained seated on his head, and he didn't seem to be too happy about being married to the white-haired woman. That, or he just didn't care. Who really knew with Natsu?

But everyone else was shocked, honestly. Even Mira's eyes were wide as her mouth hung open slightly, and even Laxus had an eyebrow raised. It wasn't very often he found things interesting, but this he did. He knew what was going on in his guild. He had seen half of the people around him grow up, and he took more of an interest in their lives than he appeared to. Well, for the most part.

But when it came to Natsu and relationships, he was one of the ones who was waiting for the airhead to do something about the blonde who was now in another room. So to find out that the Natsu of Magnolia 2.0 wasn't with Lucy, it was a bit of a shock to him, much like everyone else.

"Uh… Well that's interesting." Gray and Erza shared a look of concern across the room. They knew that if Lucy had been in the room then, it probably would have been considerably more awkward for everyone else. Not so much Natsu or Lisanna, because Lisanna seemed to be thrilled about it, which was probably another issue on its own.

"Who else is there?" Laxus questioned as he looked around at everyone in the room once again. His gaze flicked over to Freed for a second before going to Cana, leaving Freed standing there with his mouth slightly open. "Cana?"

"Who? Me?" She sat up slightly in the lounge as a few people rolled their eyes. Apparently the Cana of Magnolia 2.0 was a lightweight. That would prove to be interesting if they were stuck in the new world…

"No, I meant the other Cana."

"Shut up, Sparky," she smirked before relaxing into the lounge again. "And who knows? What about our dear Erza, though? Who are you hooking up with in this world?" A mischievous grin was sent towards the red-head, leaving her to blush furiously as she shook her head.

"N-No one," came Erza's timid response.

Lucy had silently made her way back into the room to sit next to Levy once again as she tried to figure out what they had been talking about in her absence. Ingrid was resting her head peacefully on her shoulder once again as she made herself comfortable on the lounge, just as the room fell silent again.

"Well, now that Blondie's ba—" Laxus began, only to be interrupted by Evergreen.

"Hey, hang on."

"What now?" Laxus groaned. He just really wanted to know who the kid's father was, and if it was anyone in the guild. Was that so hard? Apparently.

"Bicks is apparently married." Evergreen exclaimed, lifting up Bickslow's hand to point out the grey band.

 _Oh, fuck…_ Bickslow dropped his head slightly to hide the blush that had formed – he hated that he was at all, too. He really didn't want to talk about the fact he was married to Lucy in that world, especially after hearing about everyone else's relationships in Magnolia 2.0. They all made sense – to an extent – so what the hell were they going to think when he found about his? Would they assume they'd been secretly dating – or at least friends – in their world? Would they freak out? Hell, Bickslow was starting to freak out himself just by thinking about it.

Bickslow pulled his hand free from Evergreen's grasp to bring it down to between his knees with his other hand. "It… It's not important," Bickslow muttered. He wasn't going to talk about it, because it really wasn't that important. Maybe the entire situation was just a twenty-four-hour kind of thing and they'd all be back in the guild when they woke up tomorrow? He could only hope for that. But Bickslow had completely forgotten about what Laxus was so adamant about finding out previously, and he suddenly felt his throat go dry at the thought of them all finding out whether he liked it or not.

 _Oh… fuck._

Laxus just shrugged as Evergreen continued watching Bickslow. He honestly wasn't all that interested in who Bickslow was married to in Magnolia 2.0, because for all he knew it could be some random woman that had nothing to do with the guild. Evergreen, however, knew something was up with the man and he was trying to hide it and play it down, but the self-proclaimed Fairy Queen had a knack to getting information out of people. Little did she know that the answer to her silent question of _'who the fuck was Bickslow married to?_ ' would be answered anyway.

"So, Blondie. Whose kid is it?" Laxus demanded as all eyes returned back to the two blondes. He could deal with Bickslow later.

Lucy was blushing profusely by this point. She'd seen Bickslow blush as Evergreen mentioned that he was married in Magnolia 2.0, and Lucy knew enough about the guy to know that that rarely happened. It was Bickslow: the guy who found a way to have fun with anything. He didn't get embarrassed or shy, and he was almost always cackling at something or someone, or both.

But Lucy realised that he hadn't exhibited any of his usual habits or tendencies. Hell, the guy wasn't acting like himself at all, and Lucy knew that it was because of the predicament that they had found themselves in early that very morning. He wasn't himself, and Lucy couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It wasn't like he had wanted to wake up in a different world to find out he was married to someone he had talked to only a handful of times, let alone have a kid with them, and Lucy was feeling the same way.

The blonde sighed as everyone continued staring at her. She looked up slightly to see Bickslow staring down at his hands that were hanging between his legs still before she looked down at Ingrid again.

Bickslow knew she was about to say it. It wasn't like he could expect her to keep quiet about it, and he had realised that if she didn't say it, they'd know she was hiding something and the entire situation would just get worse for the both of them. It wasn't like Lucy was happy about their situation either, so as he continued staring down at his hands, he braced himself for the hell that was about to break loose.

Lucy only thought about how sorry she actually was right then, but it wasn't like there was anything she could do about it. It had to be said, regardless of the fact that neither really wanted it to be said. Sighing, Lucy only looked back down to Ingrid before she quietly answered, "She's Bickslow's."

* * *

 _ **A/Ns:** For those wondering about their counterparts, they still get mentioned a few times from here on. _


	5. Chapter 5

A few things happened in the few short seconds of complete silence as everyone tried to comprehend what Lucy had just said. To begin with, everyone's eyes were as wide as their mouths as they stared at either Lucy or Bickslow, and that was including the two cats in the room. Natsu had sat up straight as his eye twitched, and Gajeel was leaning over the back of the lounge – and consequently Levy as she tried to sink lower but was finding it difficult to do so and instead found herself leaning to the side towards Cana – to stare at Ingrid with a look of confusion, who was looking back at him with just as much confusion for someone so little. Lucy was surprised she hadn't started crying again, and she was a little proud of _herself_ for not crying. Gajeel's face at such close proximity was a little terrifying at times.

Freed had dropped his notebook; Cana had dropped the bottle of wine that she had picked up from the coffee table at some point as the red liquid was spilling out onto the grey rug; and Erza looked like someone had just told her that cakes don't exist Magnolia 2.0.

And then everyone had remembered how to form their words and the room as no longer silent, leaving Lucy to try and sink into the cushions as much as she could, and Bickslow wishing he could morph with the stool he was sitting on and just pretend he was a piece of furniture.

"What the fuck?!"

"Huh?"

"Bick—?"

"What?!"

"—slow?"

"Love Rival?"

It was at this moment, Laxus wished he could just shock them all with a little bit of lightning to make them all shut the fuck up. He'd had a headache all morning, and between Juvia's incessant _'Juvia and Gray are together'_ and the cats that never seemed to stop meowing, the sudden noise from everyone going absolutely insane from what Lucy had just said was not making his headache get any better.

"Will you all just shut the fuck up?" he shouted over them all and the room suddenly fell into silence. If you listened closely, you probably could have heard the sound of everyone _blinking_ as they stared at Laxus.

Mira silently walked over to where Lucy sat before kneeling down in front of her, and Lucy understood what she had wanted when she moved her arms to hold them above Lucy's lap. With a quiet sigh, the blonde carefully moved Ingrid so she could hand her over to Mira. The oldest Strauss stood up, holding Ingrid out before her as she studied her face.

"What's her name?" she asked quietly.

"Ingrid," Bickslow answered to everyone's surprise, including Lucy's, before they all looked back to Mira and the child, watching the interaction between the two in silence.

Mira smiled at Ingrid as she held her up higher. "Well, hello there, Ingrid! Aren't you just a bundle of adorableness!" Her smile got wider and brighter as Ingrid surprisingly smiled back, leaving Laxus to just groan before slapping his palm against his forehead. Leave it to Mira to get attached to someone and something in a matter of seconds.

The former Takeover mage continued to study Ingrid, noting how the small amount of hair atop her head was the same shade of blonde as Lucy's, and how her large, round eyes were the same as Lucy's, except she wasn't staring into Lucy's brown eyes. As she moved across the room, Mira moved Ingrid to her hip and as she came to stand in front of Bickslow. With her free hand, she placed her fingers under his chin and forced his head up.

"Mir—" Bickslow had started as he stared at her in confusion. _What the hell is she doing?_

"Shh," she hushed, cutting him off as she stared at Bickslow's face for a moment before her gaze flicked back to Ingrid, and then back to Bickslow once again. Almost everything about Ingrid had reminded her of Lucy, but it was the eyes that were most definitely not the blonde's, and instead they were Bickslow's. So as she stared in to Bickslow's own deep red eyes again, she smiled, which caused Bickslow to just raise his eyebrows. The guy was confused as hell.

"Are you done now, Mira?" Laxus asked in a flat tone, deciding the staring game had gone on long enough.

Mira giggled as she dropped her hand to wrap it around Ingrid again before lifting her up slightly to smile at her again. "Who would have thought Bickslow and Lucy would have a cute baby?"

"Oh god…" Bickslow dropped his head once again. He'd known Mira long enough to know when she had latched on to an idea, and this was one of those moments. Bickslow knew that he was never going to hear the end of this, and if and when they got back to their own world, he had a feeling the demon barmaid was going to give him hell about the entire situation with Lucy, if not try and set him up with the blonde. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Lucy then. It was never fun to get dragged into one of Mira's matchmaking schemes, and he knew that from first-hand experience. And if he couldn't handle it, no one could.

"You should probably give the kid back, Mira," Laxus said.

She blinked before she looked over her shoulder at the blond man with his arms folded over his chest. "But she's so adorable!" Mira whined as she hugged Ingrid tighter.

"Demon."

"Fine…" Mira sighed in defeat as she walked over to Bickslow again.

Bickslow had raised his head on his own this time when he realised that she was standing in front of him, holding Ingrid out before her. _Why the hell is she giving her to me?!_ _Why can't she give her back to Cosplayer?_ He grimaced when he had no choice but to grab hold of Ingrid, and he instantly tried to pass her over to Evergreen who just shook her head with a smirk. Bickslow looked at Freed next, but as much to his dismay, the green-haired man just shook his head as he took a step closer to Laxus and away from where Bickslow sat.

"You all suck," Bickslow muttered under his breath, positioning Ingrid so that she was sitting on his lap with one hand on her front holding her upright and against his stomach as the other held her incredibly tiny hand loosely – her hands were so small and cute though!

The room was in complete silence again as they all stared at Bickslow, all of them thinking how strange it was to see the guy with a kid, let alone a baby in his lap. No one really had any words for the chaos that had just occurred, since most of them were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that Lucy wasn't with Natsu in Magnolia 2.0, but instead was with Bickslow. Natsu, on the other hand, was still having a hard time figuring it all out.

"Wait…" He said quietly as everyone turned to look at him. Bickslow inwardly sighed in relief that everyone's eyes were off him for the moment. Well, most of them, anyway. He could still feel Evergreen's gaze burning holes into the side of his head but she always did that.

"What now?" Laxus rolled his eyes. He just knew Natsu was about to say something stupid. He'd seen him grow up in the guild, and he'd seen the face he pulled when he was thinking about something much more than he should have been. It was the face he had then, so it was just a matter of waiting to see how stupid the next thing he said was.

"So who _is_ the Bickslow of this world married to?" He looked around at everyone quizzically, apparently not noticing the expressions on their faces that basically just screamed _'you're an absolute idiot.'_

If Bickslow was able to hit his head on a bench or a wall at that point, he would have. He really would have. Laxus, on the other hand, wished he could throw Natsu out a window and down onto the streets that were below them, but if he had done that, Mira probably would have done the same to him. Lucy could only try and sink further into the couch as she felt her cheeks heat up once again, and Gray just shook his head as he looked down at the ground.

Surprisingly, Gajeel was the one who did anything. "What the hell was that for?!" Natsu shouted as Gajeel slapped him over the back of the head, causing the blue cat to jump from his hair and make its way over to sit on Lucy's lap.

"He's married to Lucy, you dumbass!"

It was like a lightbulb went off in his mostly empty head as he looked to Lucy and then to Bickslow and Ingrid. Then Natsu suddenly jumped up from the lounge as he pointed at Bickslow. "What the hell?! Why are you married to Lucy?!"

"That's actually a good question…" Evergreen gave Bickslow a sly grin as she turned in her stool. "Were you two secretly dating in our world or something?"

Bickslow narrowed his eyes as he turned to glare at Evergreen. Never would he ever possibly be secretly dating someone, especially Lucy. Bickslow didn't date. He didn't do relationships, and he knew that Evergreen knew that about him. _Well, two can play at that game_. "If that's why we're married, then wouldn't that mean you and Elfboy were actually dating? Hmm?"

"That's not manly."

"Shut it, Elfman," Evergreen shot back instantly.

"Don't tell me what to do, woman!"

By this point, Laxus was considering throwing himself out the window just to get away from all of the shouting. For such a small group, they made a hell of a lot of noise. You'd think the man would be used to a bit of noise after growing up in Fairy Tail, and he was used to it, it was just the people that pissed him off, really.

"For the love of god, can you all just shut up?" Laxus groaned.

Gajeel blinked as he loosened his grip on Natsu's scarf suddenly, only causing the former Dragon Slayer to fall to the ground as Evergreen made her way back to the stool she had been sitting on before. Bickslow only wondered just when it was she'd moved in the first place.

Freed cleared his throat as the tension in the room lowered some. "Uh… Well, moving on, I guess…" he mumbled. "So you've all probably realised there's no magic in this world either."

"Good thing, too, otherwise Laxus would have fried us all by now," Bickslow grinned as Laxus gave him a menacing look.

"I can still punch you in the face."

"You wouldn't punch me while I'm holding a baby."

"Don't test me."

"…Anyway," Freed cut in again. "Since this world is without magic, would I be correct in assuming that those two felines are Happy and Pantherlily?" The two cats meowed mournfully from where they sat on the floor and Lucy's lap as Freed nodded once again. "So it seems the distinct personalities of Happy and Lily have also been transferred to _their_ counterparts… Interesting…"

"Yeah, sure, interesting." Laxus clapped his hands as Freed trailed off. "Now can you all get out since we're probably done here since we know practically nothing about this place?"

Muffled affirmatives were heard as everyone stood up and moved towards the archway again. Lisanna turned around when she realised that Mira wasn't moving from where she stood next to Laxus, and she raised an eyebrow as she asked, "Mira? Aren't you coming with us?"

"Oh, uh…. That's the thing…" Mira giggled.

"Huh? You two? Really?"

"Laxus and Mira?"

"That's… kind of manly."

"Are those two really together here…?"

Laxus dropped his head as he rubbed his temples with his fingertips as everyone started freaking out again. He could count on one hand the amount of people who knew about his relationship with the eldest Strauss, and all three of them were in the same room with smirks on their faces. Sensing their fearless leader's discomfort from the chaos that had once again descended, they spoke up, putting the room into silence once again. "They were already dating in our world," they all said.

"What?"

"Are you fuckin' serious?"

"Man!"

Mira's blush deepened. "Sorry, everyone…" she said quietly with another smile.

"Anyway. Get out already," Laxus mumbled as he looked up, giving them all a threatening look before he glared at Natsu. "And don't do anything stupid until we have more information about this… _situation_."

Mira and Laxus watched as everyone left the room through the archway. Natsu and Gajeel were still arguing about something as everyone else murmured amongst themselves on their way out. "Do you think we should have told them above Blake?" Mira asked quietly as she looked up at Laxus.

"Nope." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he led them over to the now vacant couch. "Not gonna happen unless it's absolutely necessary, and besides, they know about us now, so are you happy?"

"Very," she replied with a giggle as she lowered her head to rest on his shoulder.

* * *

Everyone had piled into the elevator, and it was a mystery as to how they all managed to fit. They descended in an uncomfortably awkward silence after Freed had reminded them all not to cause too much trouble in the next twenty four hours because it was unknown whether they would still be in Magnolia 2.0 at that point in time. Then the elevator stopped on a floor that none of them lived on, and as the doors opened they were greeted by a group of teenagers.

"Uh…" one of them began as they all took a step back away from the elevator filled with the strangely terrifying group. "W-We'll get the next one…"

"Gi-hi," Gajeel smirked as the doors closed and they elevator began its descent once again.

Lucy stood in the front corner next to the doors. Next to her, she had Natsu with Happy perched atop the pink hair once again, and Lisanna was clinging to his arm much like Juvia was doing with Gray in the corner opposite her. Lucy was looking down at her feet as she leaned against the panel next to the doors. She felt strangely jealous, and she didn't understand it. She didn't like Natsu in _that_ way, but he was one of her best friends. She hadn't been in the room at the time when Lisanna had announced that the Magnolia 2.0 versions of themselves were married, but Gray had whispered it in her ear once she had sat down.

But Lucy still couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy towards the youngest Strauss. She knew there was nothing between the two of them, because Natsu would have told her about it – or so she thought anyway. She knew that Lisanna and Natsu had been close friends before she had been sent to Edolas, and she knew that there was never ever going to be anything between herself and the namesake of her team, but with Lisanna so boldly and blatantly clinging to her 'husband', Lucy felt like she had had Natsu taken away from her somehow.

The entire situation with Magnolia 2.0 and their becoming their counterparts was stressful to say the least, and when you were feeling stressed, sad, or just needed someone to talk to or hug, you could always go to your friends, because they would get you through whatever situation you had found yourself in. And that's what Natsu was for, most of the time. He may not have understood half of what anyone said – mostly because he misheard things when he wasn't entirely listening – but he somehow always knew how to cheer someone up. Whether it was a bone-crushing hug that made her feel like she was on fire (and she had been a few times), or his sneaking into her apartment at odd hours of the night to tell her he'd found a job that would be perfect for her, or something else entirely. Natsu always found a way to do something nice for Lucy because that's what it meant to be part of a team and a family.

But Lucy felt like all of that had been taken away from her, and she knew she was being stupid for even thinking that, but that's just the way it was.

The elevator came to a stop and as the doors opened, Lisanna pulled Natsu out of the small room and into the hallway. "Well, this is us. Bye, guys!" she said cheerfully as she waved to everyone, and the metal doors closed once again as the two headed down the hallway.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the elevator had noticed the sad look that the floor was receiving from the blonde, and they all knew why. They all watched Lucy carefully as the elevator lurched slightly before beginning its descent to the next highlighted floor. Whether Lucy would she was upset by the whole Lisanna and Natsu thing in Magnolia-2.0 or not, they were all still trying to get over the shock from finding out it was Bickslow and Lucy rather than Natsu and Lucy in Magnolia 2.0, and Bickslow was still quite possibly the most surprised of them all, really. Everyone loved Lisanna dearly, and they all loved Lucy just as much because they were all a part of the same guild and they were all one big, crazy, fucked up, chaotic family. That's just what it meant to be a member of Fairy Tail.

But when Lisanna had returned, she had immediately jumped back into her old life and everyone had accepted it without a bat of an eyelid, because they had all missed her. The only problem was that Lucy had almost been pushed to the sidelines, especially when it came to Natsu, and they had all seen it. Nevertheless, as time went on, the two became close friends and somehow the Dragon Slayer had found himself in the middle of what was arguably the most ridiculous predicament that anyone had seen him in – relationship wise, anyway.

It was never determined if Lisanna had actually liked the guy in that kind of way, but when anyone ever brought it up, she had never denied nor confirmed it, so they were all left trying to figure it out on their own. On the other hand, they knew Lucy would _never_ admit she liked Natsu, and she had flat out denied it whenever she had been asked. The guild may have been full of drunks most of the time, but most of them weren't stupid, and despite them both denying it – or not denying it in Lisanna's case – everyone knew that none of them were _just_ friends. Not really, anyway. There was too much weirdness going on there for that to be the case. When it came to Natsu's feelings, though, no one really knew. Most just assumed he wasn't capable of liking someone. His entire body was probably hardwired to only care about fighting and winning.

But, Bickslow wasn't exactly one to 'ship' people together (and he still hated Mira for ever talking about ' _ships'_ and ' _shipping'_ ), not unless it was Evergreen and Elfman, but when it came to the whole Natsu and Lisanna or Natsu and Lucy debacle, he was most definitely on the Natsu and Lucy side of things. If he wasn't hating Mira for the whole 'shipping' talk, then he was hating himself for ever even thinking about it past that first conversation, because honestly, the concept of liking two people together as a couple and giving them a name was really fucking weird. As he continued to watch the blonde stare at the floor and act like she wasn't bothered by anything ( _not that she's doing a very good job of it_ ), he found himself wondering if the demon barmaid and matchmaker from hell had come up with a name for _himself_ and the Lucy. Bickslow couldn't help but shudder at the thought when he remembered he'd given Ingrid the name of 'Lucks' while they didn't know her actual name. That was bad enough.

Lucy could feel everyone's eyes on her in the silent elevator, too. She looked up, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked over everyone briefly as they all made an effort to act like they hadn't in fact been staring at her. Gajeel had started whistling, Freed and Erza were pretending to be deep in conversation, seemingly about flowers, and Bickslow was apparently completely captivated by Ingrid's hands as they tugged at the collar of his shirt. Everyone else just made a point of looking at the ceiling or around the small metal box they were in, but the entire thing was way too obvious.

"Why were you staring?" she finally asked as it went silence once again.

"We weren't staring, were we, Lucks?" Bickslow said as he grabbed Ingrid's tiny arm to wave it slightly.

"You idiot!" Evergreen hissed from behind him. "Now she knows we were! Jeez…"

He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Evergreen. "Well, we kinda were," he mumbled.

Erza cleared her throat as she stepped out from behind Freed and moved closer to Lucy, placing her hands on the side of her arms gently. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Lucy replied as she straightened up, folding her arms across her chest. Why wouldn't she be okay? She was fine. She wasn't jealous, or hurt, or even remotely bothered by anything (apart from waking up to find out she was married to _that_ jackass and jokester). She was perfectly okay.

The elevator came to a stop as the doors opened with a quiet chime once again, and Gajeel and Levy made their way to the front of the elevator. Gajeel had stopped just before he stepped into the hallway and he looked down at Lucy from the corner of his eyes. "For the record, Bunny-girl is better than Mini-Strauss," he mumbled.

"Gajeel!" Levy's hand shot back into the elevator to grab Gajeel's shirt to pull him out of it as the doors began to close. "Why would you say that?!" she said in a hushed tone as the doors closed behind them, leaving those in the elevator feeling slightly more uncomfortable than they had been before.

"That wasn't very manly at all…" Elfman muttered as Lucy looked around at the remaining people in the lift.

Lucy finally understood why they had all been staring at her and why Erza had asked if her she was okay, but she didn't quite understand why they'd done it at all. Maybe it was because she didn't entirely understand why she was slightly jealous of Lisanna and Natsu in Magnolia 2.0, or maybe it was because she didn't realise that everyone else had caught on to what she thought she was hiding by staring at the elevator floor? Everything was just confusing, that was for sure.

"Is that why you guys were staring after Natsu and Lisanna got off?" She asked quietly as she looked back down to the floor. When no one responded, Lucy looked up and forced a smile as she looked over everyone again. "I'm fine, really. I don't know why you'd think I wouldn't be."

As the doors opened once again and Lucy stepped away from where she stood to move out into the hall, she turned back to face them all as Erza stood staring back at her. "Are you sure?" Erza asked quietly, watching the blonde for any tremble or falter or mistake that would prove that she really wasn't okay.

She smiled and nodded again. "Really, Erza. I'm okay."

Bickslow stepped out just as the doors were closing when he remembered that he was supposed to be getting off on the same floor as Lucy – to go back to their apartment that they apparently shared. He looked down at her as they walked down the short hall. Her smile was gone and it was like her soul had been hurt somehow. This wasn't the cheerful girl that sat in the guild every day; the girl who always believed in the good in someone; the girl whose soul literally radiated joy and happiness and love; the girl who was always smiling and laughing at someone or making a new friend every five minutes.

This wasn't the same Lucy that Bickslow was used to seeing the in the guild, and it wasn't that hard to see that.

"I know you're not okay."


	6. Chapter 6

Bickslow watched as Lucy scurried around the kitchen in the apartment, going from one cupboard to the next and back and forth every few seconds. He stood in front of the door, still holding Ingrid. Lucy had yet to say anything, but by the way she was acting right then, Bickslow knew he had been right. She wasn't okay, but she wasn't going to admit it any time soon.

"Can you put Ingrid in that chair over there?" Lucy lazily pointed towards the high-chair that sat at one end of the dining table.

 _Oh, so she **does** talk_ , he thought as he walked towards the table, and then he just stared at the contraption that he assumed the blonde had meant. It was a chair, that was for sure. It was just a _weird_ chair. He eventually figured it out, though, and then went back to watching Lucy go around the kitchen in a rush.

She was obviously looking for something, but he had no idea what. The blonde was quite clearly getting stressed out over something, and Bickslow didn't like seeing her like that. He usually didn't care if people weren't themselves since he only ever really talked to the Raijinshuu or Laxus and they were all he needed in the world, so he never found himself needing to care about anyone else. But for whatever reason, seeing Lucy in such a state was unnerving, and he did care.

Deciding he'd watched her go through every cupboard and drawer enough times, though, he finally spoke. "What are you looking for?" he asked quietly.

"I don't… I don't know. I don't know what babies are supposed to eat or _not_ supposed to eat and it's noon so she's probably getting hungry and I don't want her to start crying and I just don't know what I'm looking for…"

 _Did she even take a single breath?_ "Are you alright there?"

Lucy slammed her hands down on the counter as she stared down at it. "How many times do I have to tell you all that I'm fine?" she shouted.

"That's not what I meant," Bickslow replied softly as he took another step towards the counter. _Yeah, she's definitely not okay._

"Whatever. Everything is alright, okay?" She turned to walk over to the fridge, but Bickslow quickly stepped forward and blocked her path, and she was sighing in frustration before trying to step around him. "Bickslow, please move. I need to find something to give Ingrid before she starts crying again."

Bickslow folded his arms across his chest and stood his ground. "I'm not moving until you admit you're not fine. Laxus may call me a moron, but I'm really not the entire time. I know you're not fine," he said.

She tried to get around him again, yet failed when Bickslow sidestepped. "So what if I'm not?" Lucy instantly shot back as she finally looked up to him. "Are you happy now? But please, I need to get Ingrid—"

"She'll be fine for another thirty seconds. You need to talk about whatever it is that's making you so _not_ fine," Bickslow interrupted her.

"But that's the entire point! I can't talk to anyone about it! So please, just move," she shouted. Lucy hadn't meant to say anything at all, yet there she was slowly blurting it out to Bickslow of all people. Her entire world had ultimately come crashing down, and she had no one to talk to and she hated it. Lucy just wanted it to be fine. She needed everything to be fine again.

Bickslow's hands shot up to rest lightly on her arms. "Hey, come on," he said softly, frowning. He really wasn't enjoying seeing Lucy like that, which in itself only surprised him. "Talk to _me_. I promise I won't tell a single soul about what you say. Just… Just talk to me, please." ' _I won't tell a single soul.' Yeah, nice one, Bicks. Soul puns are clearly going to help._

Before he could even comprehend what was happening though, Lucy was sliding down to the kitchen floor to sit on her knees in a crying heap, and all Bickslow could do was slowly lower himself with her to crouch down in front of her. _Oh, down we go, then_ … _Damn it, I didn't expect her to cry. I didn't sign up for this._

"I'm s-sorry," Lucy stammered as she wiped a hand across her face, wiping way the tears that fell even though she really didn't want them to. She didn't want to be a snivelling mess on the floor of the kitchen, and she certainly didn't want to be like that in front of Bickslow. She almost felt like her body had betrayed her, but she was forcefully reminded of the fact that it wasn't really her body, anyway.

"Alright, Cosplayer. Start talki—" Bickslow began, only to be interrupted by Ingrid's crying. "Hold that thought," he mumbled with a roll of his eyes as he stood up again. He had Lucy on the kitchen floor crying, and a baby on the other side of the counter also crying. What had he done that was so terrible that he deserved to be putting up with that? He wasn't cut out for that.

"I told you she'd start crying…" Lucy mumbled as she started to push herself up from the floor.

"You," He picked up the box of tissues that sat on the dining table and then dropped them on the ground next to where Lucy was getting up slowly. "Are going to stay put," he ordered. "I'm not done with you yet. Now tell me what she's supposed to be having."

"I… I don't know," Lucy mumbled again, and slowly sat herself back down and let her head rest against the back of the cabinet. "I guess the formula will work. There's instructions for it on the side of the can…"

"Right."

Lucy watched as Bickslow went around the kitchen, getting everything he needed for the formula before he disappeared out of her line of sight behind the other side counter. She didn't understand why Bickslow was acting like he actually cared about her. Lucy had never seen him care about anyone or anything outside of his team, so why was he so set on making her talk about why she was so upset?

Bickslow sat on the chair closest to the highchair at the end of the table. He was resting his head in one palm while his other hand loosely held up the bottle that Ingrid was so painstakingly slowly drinking from. He just sat there staring from not knowing what else to do. Bickslow didn't know if he was doing it the right way or not either, but Ingrid didn't seem to be complaining so he figured he was at least close.

Lucy had stopped crying and so had Ingrid at that point, so Bickslow was a little grateful for that. He surprisingly wanted to get back to sorting out Lucy's problems, but he decided to deal with Ingrid first. There's no way he'd be able to deal with both at the same time.

Ingrid was about two-thirds of the way through her bottle that Bickslow was still holding up slightly when Lucy staggered up from the kitchen floor. Bickslow turned at the sound of the tissue box being placed on the counter and he watched Lucy head towards the hall. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I just… I just want to go lay down. I'm fine now, really," she replied weakly as she gave a frail smile, and then she turned and headed down the hall towards the bedroom.

 _Damn it_ , Bickslow thought as he turned back to face Ingrid. It was beginning to frustrate him that Lucy was so intent on saying she was fine. Between repeating herself a million times and the forced smiles, she wasn't fooling anyone – least of all, Bickslow. He didn't understand why she couldn't just admit she wasn't okay. Sure, she'd done it once when he wouldn't let it go, but now she was back to lying about it.

Eventually, Ingrid seemed to be done when the bottle was almost empty and she refused to drink from it anymore, Bickslow couldn't help but sigh in relief when it was over. His arm was getting tired and he still needed to get Lucy to talk. As he stood up to pick Ingrid up from the chair, he cringed at the mess on her face. It didn't look like it was only the formula that she'd had, but she didn't seem to care all that much either way. Only thinking to himself about just how disgusting babies apparently were, he took a clean cloth and dampened it to wipe Ingrid's face clean.

"Time to go see Cosplayer," Bickslow muttered under his breath once he was done in the kitchen, and headed down the hall and towards the bedroom, holding Ingrid against his chest.

Lucy was curled up on the side of the bed when Bickslow walked into the room. She'd heard Bickslow come into the room and she assumed he'd just be trying to get her to talk about what was bothering her again, so Lucy decided to bring up something else. "Is Ingrid good now?" she asked quietly as she pushed her face into the pillow.

"I think so," came the quiet reply as he sat down on the other side of the bed before placing Ingrid on the middle.

"Thanks for feeding her, I guess," Lucy mumbled.

Bickslow moved so he was sitting with his legs crossed under himself and was facing both Ingrid, and Lucy was still lying on her side with her back to him. He looked back down to Ingrid, watching her turn herself around on the blanket. The room stayed silent for a few minutes as he continued watching Ingrid roll around and attempt to drag herself forwards. He couldn't help but find her just a little odd, but in a mostly cute way. Babies were all just so new to him.

Bickslow decided he'd given the blonde enough time to stew in her own sorrow, so as he lifted his head from where it sat in this palm, he looked to Lucy again and said, "Alright, Cosplayer. Either you start talking, or I'll do something you really don't want me to do."

Lucy sighed into the pillow as she wiped a hand down her face. "Bickslow, please. I don't need to talk. I'm fine."

"Right then." He quickly got up from the bed and walked around to the other side and held his hands out to Lucy. "Come on, get up."

"Bickslow, please," she groaned into the pillow. She felt Bickslow's hand wrap around her wrist and pull her up into a sitting position, and then to her feet.

"I'll give you one more chance," Bickslow said as he folded his arms across his chest. "Talk, or I really will do something you really don't want me to do." _Damn it, she better talk. I don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't. What will she find horrible?!_

Lucy turned to head towards the hallway but as soon as she did so, Bickslow's hand caught her forearm and she was spun around once again. "Seriously, I don't need to ta—"

"I warned you," he said quickly before he leant down close to her face and drew a wet line up the side of her cheek with his mouth. _Yeah, she'll definitely hate that._

"Bickslow!" Lucy squealed as she turned and tried to wriggle out of his grip, right before she burst out into a fit of giggles. _Oh god. Why does that tickle?!_

Bickslow raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but grin when Lucy started laughing. He had an overwhelming feeling of joy wash over him just from hearing her laugh. She wasn't trying to pretend she was okay and even if it was only going to be for a short moment, Bickslow was glad that she was actually smiling. Not a forced and empty smile to prove to someone she was fine; it was an actual, genuine smile. Granted, it had been from him half kissing, and borderline licking the side of her face, but that was okay. He'd done what he'd had to do.

Then, when her laughter had seemed to die down some and she calmed down a bit, Bickslow finally said again softly, "Look, Lucy. Whatever it is that's making you so upset… You need to talk about it."

Lucy looked up at Bickslow. The same worried expression he'd had before was back. She didn't understand why he wanted her to talk about it so much. What even was there to talk about? How do you tell someone that you feel alone in a world surrounded by your friends and family without sounding like an idiot?

You didn't. That was the simple truth.

"I…" She looked away again when she felt the tears threaten to spill once again, but it was too late. "Fuck, not again," she whispered to herself as she tried to pull away. Lucy didn't cry very often and she swore even less. Yet here she was, crying for the second time in less than hour and she hated herself for it.

As Lucy tried to pull away, Bickslow pulled her back in against his chest, wrapping his arms around her as he rested his chin on her head. He could see Ingrid look around the room from where she lay on the bed without a care in the world.

"It's pathetic," she mumbled into his shirt. " _I'm_ pathetic." Lucy had just reached the point where she didn't care. She'd broken down, and she hated herself for it. _Pathetic. Stupid_. _Weak_. The words echoed in her head again as she rested her head on Bickslow's chest while her hands gripped at the fabric of the shirt.

 _Did she really just say that? What the fuck?_ He pushed her back quickly, holding her shoulders, "Why would you say something like that?" he asked.

Her gaze flicked up to look at his stern expression before lowering back down to where her hands were still fisting the fabric of his shirt. "Because it's true. I-It's stupid, and I'm weak. I'm pathetic."

 _Stupid? Weak? Pathetic? Where the hell is she getting all of this from?_ "Alright, I really don't know where you're getting any of that from, but.. Lucy, look at me." A hand went to her chin to lift her head up so that he was looking directly in her eyes. "You're not stupid. You're one of the smartest people in the guild. Whatever it is that has you like this isn't stupid either. You're not weak. So far from it, actually. You've kicked my ass before. _Twice_ , actually. That shit at the Grand Magic Games? You should have won that, and everyone knows it. That Raven chick lost in my eyes. The Naval battle – you held your own in there and way longer than anyone else could have if they were in that situation," he said softly. "Cosplayer, you're stronger than you know. So please, never, _ever_ say anything that's pissing you off is stupid, or call yourself weak, or pathetic. And _please_ , no more crying. I can't deal with anymore crying for the day."

Lucy let go of shirt with a small nod and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She splashed cold water on her face before staring back at the reflection and thinking about what Bickslow had said. She didn't understand why he was doing it, so she was going to ask just that. When she walked back into the bedroom, Bickslow was sitting on the end of the bed with his legs crossed under him with Ingrid sitting in his lap while he was holding her arms. He really did seem to like her arms and her hands.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly then.

He looked up. "Doing what?"

"Caring."

"Why wouldn't I?" Bickslow shrugged as Lucy sat down beside him. "It's weird seeing you like this. No one likes seeing someone they know upset and I just… I don't know, really. Talking when you're upset about something is supposed to help, and I want to help you," he admitted, looking away slightly as his voice trailed off. Bickslow felt almost… exposed. There were three people in the entire world who knew that he was actually _capable_ of caring about people, and Lucy just wasn't one of those people.

But he had to put that aside. It wasn't about him in that moment. It was about her.

"But… why?" Lucy asked. She reached for a pillow to hug to her chest, resting her chin on the top of it.

"Because we're a family." Bickslow watched as her eyes went wide, and he grimaced slightly. "No. Not… Not _this,"_ he said, gesturing between them with his hand. "This is on a whole new level of weird, but no, not this. I mean Fairy Tail as a whole. We're all one giant, chaotic, dysfunctional, stupid, hysterical, crazy, fucked up family. Sure, it's probably more like distant relatives or something, but we all still care about each other, right?" At least that was the way Bickslow saw things. "Families are always there for each other. It's because we're all part of the same guild that I'm doing this. Whether you like it or not, everyone in Fairy Tail loves you, Cosplayer. And you know it's like one big, fucked up ball of friendship in there. I just want to be your friend for once and actually help you."

Lucy hugged the pillow to herself even tighter as she thought about it. Bickslow was right and she knew that. She really did. Fairy Tail was a family. For some, it was the family they never had. For others, it was just a place to call home for the day before they went back to their own families. But it was a family nonetheless.

But Bickslow… Was Bickslow her friend? _Of course he is._ The guild was a family, and they were all friends. That's what it meant to be in a guild. To be in Fairy Tail.

So maybe she should talk to him about it. Where would she start, though Lucy didn't know _how_ to talk about it, that was the problem. It's hard to talk and explain something you can't entirely understand yourself, so what was she to do?

 _Talk._

It reverberated through her mind over and over again. She needed to talk. She knew that.

And so she would.


	7. Chapter 7

Bickslow understood a few things.

He understood that Lucy was more confused than anything. He learnt that she was confused as to why she was so distressed, and he understood that she really just needed her friends. To Bickslow, that made perfect sense, because if you had woken up in another world in an entirely different situation to what you were used to, you'd be confused and you'd need to talk about it. He got that.

But, as it turns out, that was exactly what had happened anyway. Still though, Lucy had seemed to be set on believing that she couldn't talk about it – not to Natsu or Levy, at least.

Then, though, he learned that she was just as confused about the whole _not-quite-envious_ of the whole Lisanna and Natsu thing. It was more of a case that she felt Natsu had been taken away from her, and the more that Bickslow thought that it, the more that made sense too. After all, Natsu was supposed to be her best friend and he was technically married to someone else in that world.

The only thing that hadn't made sense to Bickslow was Lucy saying she didn't actually like Natsu. _That_ he didn't believe. Well, not entirely.

So as Bickslow collapsed onto the lounge a little while later, he tried to think of something to do for the afternoon. He couldn't do anything that would make much noise since Ingrid was down for the count again, and Lucy had decided she was going to just rest for a while, which, Bickslow thought she kind of needed, so he'd left her in peace.

He stared up at the soulless totems on the shelf. _What kind of world doesn't have magic?_ _Well, apart from Edolas_. But Bickslow didn't really understand the whole Edolas and Mystogan situation anyway. Erza had tried explaining it to himself and Cana and he was mostly blind drunk at that point anyway, so it had really just gone in one ear and out the other.

As Bickslow continued contemplating how he'd ended up in Magnolia 2.0 without any magic whatsoever, despite his beloved babies being there (just without souls, it seemed), he felt something vibrate in his back pocket. _Phone. It's your phone, remember?_ He pulled the phone from his pocket and stared at the screen as he laid back down.

Below the time at the top of the screen sat a message.

 ** _GAJEEL  
SLIDE TO VIEW MESSAGE_**

 _Slide to view message? Ah, right. That explains the 'Slide to Unlock' thing at the bottom_. It was a new screen. There was a thin bar at the top with the time in the centre, and then a smaller green rectangle in the top right corner. Below that was a whole bunch of messages. Apparently all from Gajeel, considering it had 'Gajeel' at the top. Bickslow read through some of them before getting to the newest one.

 ** _HOW THE FUCK DID YOU DEAL WITH BLONDIE WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT?!_**

 ** _Are you watching the game on Friday? If so, bring booze. A LOT OF IT._**

 ** _I'm never having sex again._**

Bickslow couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself at them. Apparently the Gajeel of Magnolia 2.0 had been having a hard time with Levy, and he was picturing the small blue-haired woman throwing countless books at the guy. It was a vivid picture, considering he'd seen it happen in the guild multiple times before.

But none of those messages were the one he had just received. Bickslow scrolled through them until he reached the bottom, occasionally chuckling at what he assumed were his own stupid responses since they were in a different colour and on the opposite edge of the screen.

He found the one he was looking for, and he read the message from Gajeel.

 ** _Shrimp wants to know if Bunny-girl is okay.  
Also, these things are fucking amazing. _**

He realised Gajeel was right – they were actually pretty amazing. Not only could you call people without seeing their face, but you could send short messages to them. Plus, it was small enough to fit in your pocket, unlike the communications lacrima which had to be carried in its own separate bag. Those were always frustrating to use.

But was Lucy okay? Bickslow noticed that she'd seemed to cheer up a bit after actually talking about it. So if she wasn't completely okay, she was at least better, right?

Hell, if she still wasn't okay, Bickslow knew he was going to make sure that she would be. Partly because if they did end up stuck in Magnolia 2.0 for more than a day, then he didn't really want to be stuck with a gloomy and depressed Lucy Heartfilia.

 _Now to figure out how to reply…_

When he pressed the screen, the bottom half of the screen turned into a keyboard. Bickslow stared at the order of the letters. Q was first on the top row. _Why the hell would 'Q' be first? Isn't 'A' the first letter of the alphabet?!_ Putting his confusion aside, he slowly and carefully typed out his response, finding himself amazed that he managed to hit mostly the correct letters, and when he did screw up a word by pressing the wrong letter, it would automatically correct it. He was almost convinced magic did exist. Just… in the form of phones.

So as he re-read the short message, he pressed the green _send_ button next to where it had shown up, and the message moved up to just below the one Gajeel had sent him before.

 ** _I think so._**

A simple reply, but he really did think she was okay, so it was the truth.

Bickslow dropped the phone to his stomach, and as soon as his eyes lifted to stare at the ceiling, the phone vibrated again. Another message from Gajeel.

 ** _Shrimp wants to know what floor and apartment you're in._**

He didn't know Levy wanted to know, but he was going to find out anyway. Bickslow had to get up from the lounge to do that, though. He knew the floor, but not the apartment number. So begrudgingly, he pushed himself up and made his way over to the door, pulling it open to see the number on the door.

He typed out another response:

 ** _24th floor. 243. Why?_**

As Bickslow waited for Gajeel to respond, he went back to the lounge. He still needed to find something to do, and that was proving to be difficult when he didn't know what half of the things in the room did. Bickslow usually occupied his time with drinking in the guild or annoying the hell out of Evergreen, but he couldn't do either of those.

Deciding he had nothing to lose, Bickslow cautiously pressed the button that was on the bottom of the phone. He figured it was either going to cause something to blow up, or it would just change the screen again, not that he really cared what the outcome was anyway.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), the button only made the screen change. Instead of looking at a whole bunch of messages between himself and Gajeel, he was staring at multiple squares with weird and colourful icons with words beneath them. They ranged from Contacts, Calculator, and Clock to Messages, M. Banking, and Music.

Trying to figure out how it worked, he pressed the _Messages_ one, and it took him back to a screen with messages from more than just Gajeel. Gajeel's name was at the top with a preview of the last message he'd sent, but below that was Lucy, followed by Boss Man, and then Freed. Scrolling down there were even more messages, but he didn't feel like opening them, so instead he just closed all of the messages once again.

As he closed them all, he found his attention being drawn to one particular icon in the top right. _Photos._ Bickslow felt like if he wanted to get an insight into what his life was supposed to have been like in that world, then photos would help him do so. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit curious, and what was that old saying?

 _A picture paints a thousand words._

And so as Bickslow scrolled through the hundreds of thumbnails, occasionally opening up some of them to get a better look, he found himself becoming strangely envious of himself. Well, the _other_ him, at least.

Bickslow had always told himself that one day, he'd settle down with someone; fall in love, get married, have kids. That kind of thing. It wasn't like he'd wanted it any time soon – in fact, he'd come to the conclusion he'd most likely be in his thirties before anything like that happened, and he was having too much fun with his life as it was. He liked to be entertained. Constantly needing to be doing something fun; having fun. That was just the type of person Bickslow was. He never took anything seriously, and that included women and dating or anything even remotely close to that. It just wasn't what he did.

But… the original Bickslow of Magnolia 2.0 had all of that. The wife who he assumed he had to have been in love with to marry, and the kid. They were supposed to happy in their own little family. He was supposed to be in love with _Lucy_ , which in itself was as a big of a mystery as the entire waking-up-in-a-different-world situation.

More wedding photos, photos of Ingrid, photos of… Laxus? And Freed, and Ever, and hell, just about everyone that had been in Laxus' apartment that morning. But it didn't matter what the subject of the photo was, the main thing was that he was apparently happy in that world, and that's what made him jealous of himself. Sure, Bickslow was happy in his own world, the one that he missed, but it was a different kind of happy.

There was a knock on the door and Bickslow was brought from his thoughts, which was a little bit of a relief. It was getting a tad dark in his mind, and he didn't really enjoy it – much like everyone else on the planet.

"Better not be that Claire person again," Bickslow muttered as he pulled the door open. He was a little shocked to see Levy standing in front of Gajeel, who was hugging the black and white cat yet again.

"Where's Lu?" Levy asked as she pushed her way past Bickslow and into the apartment with Gajeel following suit.

Bickslow closed the door softly as he turned around. _So that was why she asked what floor the apartment was on._ "Uh, in the bedroom down the end," he answered, pointing down the hall and to the closed door at the very end.

Levy nodded as she spun on her heel and started heading towards the room before she stopped and turned her head over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes slightly and asking, "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah…"

"Good." The small (or not so small in her current state) woman huffed before her head spun back around and she headed down the hall and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her quietly.

And at that moment, Bickslow was left wondering (for what felt like the hundredth time that day) what in the hell was going on.

"So…" Gajeel began slowly. "Wanna drink?" he asked with a sly grin as Lily jumped from his arms, revealing the bottle of whiskey that the cat had apparently been sitting on.

"This is why I'm friends with you."

* * *

Lucy and Levy finally emerged from the room early in the evening. The beginnings of the sunset could be seen from the windows in the lounge room; the predominantly blue sky tinged with a shade of orange.

The two women had talked, laughed, squealed, and cried, and anything and everything else between. Half of the time, it was a mix of two. They talked about Magnolia 2.0 and all of the familiar faces, laughed about Lucy being married to Bickslow of all people, squealed about Levy being pregnant and then cried about being married and pregnant, and then laughed over it.

It had cheered Lucy up even more because Levy was one of her best friends, and best friends are always there to cheer you up. That being said, it wasn't like Bickslow had been completely useless. He had tried and mostly succeeded in his attempts to lift her mood. If anything, Lucy found herself glad she had ended up talking to him. Bickslow had been there when she had needed someone the most, and she was grateful.

But when Ingrid started crying, Lucy saw it as a sign to get out of bed and face the world again. After getting her changed, with Levy voicing her serious objections to being in Magnolia 2.0 for when she actually had to give birth, and, you know… become an actual parent, Lucy walked into the main living area holding Ingrid while Levy followed slowly behind her.

They both stopped at what they saw. Bickslow and Gajeel were slumped over the dining table, drinks still in hands while Lily was licking up the spillage on the table. The two were mumbling to each other in incoherent half-formed sentences between giggles. _Giggles._ Bickslow didn't giggle – he cackled, and Gajeel didn't either. Lucy honestly had no idea what to call Gajeel's laugh. It was just one of those things that sent a little bit of a chill down her spine each time he did it though, usually because she'd have had no idea he'd been standing behind her and listening.

Lucy was a little annoyed. She glanced at the clock that sat on the wall, and her jaw dropped slightly. It was barely past 5 p.m., and the two of them were drunk. Lucy didn't want to deal with a drunk Bickslow. Lucy didn't want to deal with a drunk _anyone_. Hell, she was basically going to be babysitting what was essentially her own daughter and _husband_ , even if it was only going to be temporary (which, she still really hoped for).

So as she walked over to the high-chair and sat Ingrid down in it, she took the glasses from both of their hands and took the nearly empty bottle of whiskey away from them as they slurred their protests.

"Gajeel!" Levy hissed as she started pulling on Gajeel's ear, getting him out of the chair.

"Let go of… my ear… Shrimp," he mumbled as he stumbled his way into a standing position, continuing to be pulled by the ear and towards the door.

The blue-haired woman shot an apologetic smile to Lucy as she pulled the door open. "We should probably be leaving… Sorry, Lucy!" she called.

Gajeel managed to pull his ear free from the woman's grasp and stagged over to the bench, swiping the bottle of whiskey that he had brought (or as Bickslow had later learned, _smuggled_ in). "Mine!" he said with a smirk before Levy grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back and out of the apartment with Lily following them out.

"Don't leave me!" Bickslow cried, his hand extending towards the now closed door as his head remained on the table.

"They already left," Lucy said as she placed a glass of water in front of him. "Drink it."

Bickslow sighed as his arm fell back to the table. "I thought he loved me," he said morosely, lifting his head slightly to take a sip from the glass.

Lucy shook her head with disapproval before she moved to the fridge, finally getting a chance to look what was in there since _someone_ wasn't blocking her from doing so. Bottles of water, juices, fruits, vegetables. All sorts of things were piled onto the shelves and into the door, including a large punnet of strawberries and tubs of yogurt. _So a god_ does _exist_.

She pulled out a small jar from one of the shelves on the door. _Apple and Mango… something_. Lucy wasn't entirely sure of it, but it had _'4+ months'_ on the label and the back of it made it seem like it was safe to give Ingrid. With a shrug, she turned and closed the fridge with her foot as she made her way over to a drawer where she knew she'd seen spoons earlier. She twisted the lid off of the jar and sat down at the table, the small pink spoon in hand, and almost found herself considering actually _trying_ whatever the stuff in her hand was supposed to be. She knew it had to have been a form of baby food, and if it was in the apartment, then Ingrid must have had something similar before.

Regardless of coming to the conclusion that it was safe, she dipped her pinkie in a tiny bit and brought it up to her mouth. It actually surprised her that it tasted like apples. And mango. Nothing more, nothing less.

If anything, the consistency freaked her out because it was like having a super-thick smoothie, but it wasn't _terrible_.

Her gaze flicked to Bickslow who was mumbling into the table. Lucy had no idea what he was saying, but she heard _Gajeel_ get muttered a few times and then decided it was probably best she not know what he was saying.

So instead, she returned her focus to feeding Ingrid. As she picked up a small amount on the spoon and moved it over to Ingrid's mouth slowly, she didn't really know what to expect to happen. A part of her had a feeling Ingrid would refuse it and start crying again, but that's not what happened at all. She opened up that little mouth of hers without a single fuss and went to work on getting it down – making a mess of herself in the process.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" Lucy couldn't help but smile as she small child giggled slightly, making even more of a mess. Ingrid was making it easy for her (sort of), and if it had been a nightmare just to get her to eat pureed apples and mangos _once_ , Lucy didn't know what she would do if she did actually end up stuck in that world with an actual baby, and not on a temporary basis.

"I do like it," Bickslow mumbled into the table again before lifting his head slightly, continuing to work his way through the water.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she gave Ingrid another spoonful of the pureed food. "Not you, you idiot."

As Lucy finished cleaning up Ingrid, Bickslow clumsily stood from the table with the intentions of making his way over to the lounge. Unfortunately, just as he was about to collapse over the back of the lounge and onto his stomach, he found himself being turned around and pushed down the hallway.

"What are you doing?" he groaned as he dug his heels into the ground in an attempt to stop moving. He just wanted to go collapse on the lounge. Was that so much to ask?

"You"—Lucy pushed her hands firmly against his back as he resisted moving, pushing even harder when he seemed to give up and let his feet slide along the hardwood floors—"need to go have a shower," she said. Lucy briefly wondered as to why she was helping him, but it was more of a case of helping herself. With the chance of still being in Magnolia 2.0 the next day, she didn't want to deal with a hungover Bickslow. So, if she could make his hangover just a little bit more bearable, she'd be making her life easier for herself.

 _It has nothing to do with actually helping Bickslow_ , she told herself. _Nope, nothing at all. Even though I do kind of owe him for getting me talking…_

A wicked grin formed on Bickslow's face as he turned his head over his shoulder, his tongue hanging from his mouth as it occasionally did. "Are you going to join me?"

"No!" she shrieked as she ducked her head, the heat rising on her cheeks. Lucy wondered how he could say such a thing (while keeping a somewhat straight face), but she then remembered it was Bickslow she was talking to. _Well, he doesn't have a reputation for nothing._

"Aw, you're no fun," Bickslow pouted, chuckling to himself as Lucy finally pushed him into the bathroom with one final shove, slamming the door shut behind her before she returned back down the hall.

She shook her head as she picked up Ingrid again. No, no fun. Ever. _Especially_ with Bickslow. Nothing about their situation was fun in the slightest.

"This isn't fun, is it, Ingrid?" she asked the baby, only to cause her to smile as she moved over to the lounge. Lucy couldn't help but laugh slightly, "Yeah, you have no idea what I'm talking about." That was fine, though.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the night had been peaceful, and Lucy suspected that it had had something to do with Bickslow completely passing out shortly after he'd showered, and many, _many_ advances towards Lucy later. Although, each time he'd cackle and Lucy wondered if he was doing it on purpose just to make her uncomfortable. She just didn't know.

So as Lucy walked out of Ingrid's room after putting her to sleep after she'd eventually figured out how to give her a bath (which ended with Lucy giving up and just climbing into the bath because it was hard reaching over the side, so she got her clothes soaking wet in the process), she realised she had to go back into what was technically her and Bickslow's bedroom to get dry clothes.

"Please be asleep. Please be asleep. Please be asleep," she whispered to herself as she pushed the door open slowly, peeking around to see if he had moved since she'd been in there last.

Bickslow was sprawled out on top of the duvet, lying on his stomach with one arm draped over the side of the bed, his other going across the middle of the bed. His soft snores could be heard as Lucy walked into the room carefully, switching on the light as she did so. He didn't move and Lucy shook her head as she tip-toed across the room and to the wardrobe. _Yup, he's completely out._ _What kind of idiot gets drunk in the middle of the afternoon?_

Lucy slid the mirrored doors open slowly and carefully, making sure she didn't make too much noise. She opened the first drawer in the wardrobe that sat below the rack of clothes hanging up, sighing in relief when she saw it was the right drawer – pyjamas and underwear, because god knows that everything from her waist down was soaking wet still, and her skirt was beginning to get uncomfortable as the wet fabric rubbed against her thighs.

With a final glance over her shoulder to make sure Bickslow was still asleep, she gathered up her new clothes and padded over to the bathroom, leaving a trail of footprints behind her as she walked along the wood floor.

As Lucy stepped into the shower after getting the water running, she felt like she could have fallen asleep right there under the hot water. The steam from the water was filling the room, and for the first time all day, she felt relaxed. Everything had been stressful and frustrating, and Lucy was exhausted. It was only a little past 8 p.m. at that point and Lucy was seriously debating just crashing as soon as she was done with her shower, even though she was fighting the urge to stay under the hot water for eternity.

But unfortunately, she knew deep down that she wasn't able to spend the rest of her life in a shower, so she willed herself to step out after rinsing off her hair and all the suds from the rest of herself, and wrapped herself in the large, fluffy towel that was hanging on the shower door.

Lucy moved to stand in front of the mirror and she wiped her hand across it, creating a clear section the length of her hand. She stared at herself in the reflection. her hair dripping down the back of her shoulders and soaking into the edge of the towel. Lucy already knew that they had become their counterparts – well, that's what made the most sense and what everyone else had agreed on – but she noticed that she looked… different. Not terribly different, but she'd seen herself in the mirror enough times to notice that something had changed. Regardless, she didn't know _what_ was different, and Lucy had to remind herself not to think about it too much.

Despite that, she thought about it, and she thought about it a lot.

It wasn't just that she looked different; she felt different, and she felt different about certain people, too.

Things like muscles that she knew she had, and the fact that they weren't as defined – hell, her stomach was a prime example of that. But, considering she now knew that Ingrid was nearly five months old, she was a little proud of herself for getting back to something close to what she knew her body to look like. That was the first thing she had noticed.

But it wasn't just that.

Whenever she held Ingrid, she got an overwhelming feeling of joy just from watching her interact with things. When Ingrid had cried, Lucy felt like she would have done anything just to make her stop crying; do anything to make her small face light up with that tiny smile she'd seen so many times that day. It was like she would have done anything to protect the tiny blonde-haired red-eyed human, and she didn't understand it.

As she slid the light blue shorts up her legs, her attention was pulled to the two rings on her left hand. She was married. To Bickslow. _Bickslow!_ Lucy never thought of him to be a dating or relationship type of person, let alone to actually get married and have a baby. But somehow, it had happened in a completely different world. She was still trying to wrap her head around it all.

But Bickslow was the one who had been there for her earlier that day when she had really needed it and she had refused to admit it. He'd still known that though. He'd made her talk about it and she was grateful, but she still didn't entirely understand why – apart from just being her friend, because that's what it meant to be in Fairy Tail (not to mention she felt like a complete idiot when she had forgotten the fundamentals of being in the guild). But when he had hugged her, Lucy knew she should have been freaking out (if she still wasn't freaking out from being licked), but she couldn't. Not really, anyway.

She couldn't explain it. She _wanted_ to be freaking out, just because it was Bickslow and it was weird for him to act like that (that she knew of), but she couldn't. She felt… safe, somehow, and something about it was familiar, which didn't make sense.

It was almost as if her brain didn't understand it, but her body did.

And as Lucy thought about it, the more it made sense – despite it not actually making any sense at all. It made sense in a world where nothing made sense.

It was her mind, but it wasn't _her_ body.

"Alright, Lucy. Stop thinking. You're going to drive yourself insane," she reminded herself with a shake of her head, throwing the wet towels and clothes in the basket next to the door.

After a quick go-around of the apartment, making sure all of the lights were off, and a visit to Ingrid's room to make sure she was asleep, Lucy found herself staring at the bed in the dimly lit room. Bickslow was still dead to the world with one arm across the middle of the bed as he snored softly.

Now, Lucy didn't really want to get back in a bed with Bickslow (well, he was on top of it and not under the blanket or sheet), but she didn't want to sleep on the lounge either, and she didn't know where any other blankets were, so the lounge wasn't an option. So whether she liked it or not, she had to get back into the bed that Bickslow was laying on.

 _How bad could it really be?_ She asked herself as she pulled the corner of the blanket back. _You went back to bed at the same time after you found yourself in this mess… with Bickslow, so just… close your eyes, and go to sleep. It's not going to be that bad._

As Lucy climbed into the bed, pushing Bickslow's arm towards his side and rather than the middle where it had been before, she switched off the light in the room, leaving it in darkness again. She could already feel her lids get heavier as she slid down and pulled the blanket up to her ears. God only knew how much she needed sleep.

So as she reassured herself that Bickslow was completely out for the rest of the night, she closed her eyes and shifted over to the edge of the bed, making sure to put as much space as possible between herself and Bickslow.

* * *

Bickslow groaned into the pillow as he shuffled to the edge of the bed, lifting his arm from whoever it was draped over. His head was pounding and the room was dark, but that might have been because his eyes were closed still. He didn't want to be awake. Not one bit. If anything, he'd much prefer to crawl back into the bed he was now sitting up on and push whoever else it was that was in his bed off of it.

But he really needed to pee.

 _God damn it._

So as he finally stood up from the bed, resting his feet on the cold hardwood floor, he slowly started heading towards where the bathroom was. Bickslow knew his apartment like the back of his hand – he'd lived there long enough to be able to walk around with his eyes closed and know exactly which room he was in or how many steps it would roughly take to get to one room to another.

But when he walked into a wall that he knew shouldn't have been there, he opened his eyes slowly as his steadied himself.

Bickslow squinted as his eyes readjusted to the lighting. _I've seen this room before,_ he thought as he opened his eyes more, ignoring the pounding headache that was getting progressively worse the longer he stood.

The black curtains were open with the faint light from the early morning lighting up the room some, the armchair in the corner casting a shadow across the floor. Bickslow turned his head over his shoulder to look back at the bed, groaning when he saw the familiar blonde hair splayed out on the pillow. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath. _Looks like we're still here_.

Bickslow didn't want to be stuck in Magnolia 2.0 any more or any less than anyone else did. He didn't want to be in the world without magic, and he didn't want to believe that this was supposed to be his life now. He didn't want to believe that he was supposed to married to Lucy and have a nearly five-month-old baby with her, despite the nagging voice inside him that was telling him it really wouldn't be that bad.

As Bickslow re-entered the hallway from the bathroom he found himself walking into Ingrid's nursery. It was like there was an invisible force pulling him towards there, and he didn't quite understand why or what it was.

But when he leant over the railing for the crib, he realised that the invisible force wasn't actually so invisible, since it was Ingrid herself.

Ingrid was just waking up by this time, and Bickslow was almost entranced by her existence for a moment - that was, until she started crying and Bickslow wondered what it was he'd done to make her cry. It wasn't like he was Gajeel who just seemed to have that kind of look to him, but he hadn't done anything. He'd literally just leant on the railing for all of thirty seconds.

Bickslow finally reached into the crib to pick her up, the pink polka-dot blanket falling back down as he lifted her up. "I don't know what you want!" _Ah, fuck. What the hell do I—wait… what's that smell?_ He lifted Ingrid up higher, cringing when he breathed in. _No, no, no. No. No. No._ _Fuck. Why isn't Cosplayer awake yet?_

He all but ran down the short hall and into the bedroom, holding Ingrid at arm's length as she stood in the doorway. The crying wasn't stopping. Hell, it was getting louder and Bickslow was hungover and he was _not_ dealing with that.

"Cosplayer, get up. I'm not dealing with this," he whined over the crying, trying to lengthen his arms somehow.

Lucy pushed the heavy blanket back, slowly sitting up as she pushed her hair back behind her ears and smoothing it down slightly. She had wanted to curl up in a ball when Ingrid had started crying. She'd had a feeling that the entire situation wasn't just going to be a twenty-four-hour issue, but that being said, she still wasn't happy to wake up to crying yet again (despite getting a lot more sleep than she had the previous night thanks to that wake-up call at god knows what awful hour it had been).

So as she finally stood up and walked over to the doorway where Bickslow was standing, he instantly tried to hand her to the blonde when she got close enough. Lucy shook her head, as a hand went up, motioning for Bickslow to turn around and head back into the hall. "Just go and put her down on the table."

As soon as Bickslow had laid Ingrid down on the changing table by the window, he almost instantly turned and went to exit the room, but instead found Lucy blocking the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked as she looked up, leaning on the door frame.

"Out of here? You're awake, you can deal with this," Bickslow replied, moving slightly in attempt to slip past the blonde in the gap between herself and the other side of the door frame.

Lucy shook her head as a smirk played on her lips. "Nope. I did it yesterday. You can do it today." _Ah, yes. That seems fair._

Bickslow froze. "What? No. Not a chance."

"I did almost everything yesterday." Lucy stepped forward into the room more, causing Bickslow to take a step back before she kicked the door closed with her foot. "Come on. Think of it as a life skill."

"Hey, I fed her. Once…" _Yeah, once. I helped. I can do that._ "And _life_ _skill_? Where the hell did you get that?"

Another step forward, " _Once_. I did everything else." Ingrid's crying continued and Lucy could just feel her headache coming on already. She wasn't going to give in and change Ingrid. No, she was going to get Bickslow to do it. It was only fair. "Well, when you have your own kids one day—"

"No."

"—you'll know what you're doing. This is actually helping you. And besides, the longer you refuse to do it, the more she'll cry, and the louder she'll get. I'm sure you have a headache right now." Lucy smirked as she continued walking closer, pushing Bickslow closer and closer to Ingrid, his head pounding even more with each step.

 _Has she always been this fucking evil? Goddamn, no wonder she can keep Natsu on a leash._ Suddenly it all made sense. But Bickslow knew she wasn't going to back down. She'd never seemed like the kind of person to give up so easily, and this was more or less one of those situations. If he didn't have a killer headache and a hangover, he probably would have been able to stand there all day and argue with her about it, but… he wasn't going to do that. Not today, anyway.

So with a final grimace he turned and took the final step to be in front of the changing table. _God damn Cosplayer._ "I don't know what the fuck to do. You better tell me how to do this," Bickslow said with a glare over his shoulder.

Lucy was smiling to herself as she moved to stand next to Bickslow. She'd won, and she couldn't help but admit it was a little amusing. "Alright, you have to undo those buttons." She pointed to the buttons on the yellow onesie Ingrid had on, watching as Bickslow struggled with them as Ingrid flailed her little legs around.

 _This is a fucking nightmare._

"Okay, so now that you've got that off, you pull on the tabs on the side of the diaper, and make sure you hold her ankles together with one hand and lift her up." _Here comes the fun part…_

 _Wait… hold on…_ Bickslow's hand went around Ingrid's legs, holding them together as he looked down at Lucy. "Like this? Isn't that like… I don't know… kind of inhumane?" _What kind of person holds a baby like that? It's like a goddamn fish!_

Lucy shook her head, "Nope. It's fine. It stops her from getting it all over her legs," she said with another smirk that made Bickslow tremble slightly.

 _What the fuck… I don't even want to think about how that's possible._

"Okay, now you pull it down and kind of wipe as you do so—"

"Oh, fuck no," Bickslow's head turned over his shoulder as he fought the gag, eyes watering slightly. "That's disgusting, oh god."

Lucy was laughing as she reached down and picked up the packet of wipes that were on the shelf, holding them up and in Bickslow's reach when he finally turned back around. She had been up for only a few minutes, but she was already laughing, and she's had worse starts to days. _Maybe today won't be so terrible._

At some point, Ingrid had stopped crying as much, instead only short cries were heard over Lucy's laughing. Bickslow was still totally disgusted. Everything was just… disgusting. As Lucy handed him a new diaper, explaining how to put it on as he continued scowling, he found himself wondering who in their right mind would have kids. Babies were disgusting and weird, according to Bickslow, anyway. _Who the hell would actually want one of these? Oh right. **You** did, you moron. _

"Now clothes." Lucy smiled when Bickslow had thought he was done.

"Can't you do that?" _Come on, clothes are easy! Why can't Cosplayer do it?!_

She shrugged as she went over to the dresser, saying, "Life skills, remember?"

"Sure… _Life skills_ , she says…" Bickslow mumbled, turning his attention back to Ingrid as Lucy went through the drawers, raising an eyebrow when it finally dawned on him that she wasn't crying anymore. Instead, she was smiling and back to making the other weird noises that Bickslow had so deemed them. "More like you just want to laugh at me, which, I could hear since I was _right next to you_."

Lucy finally decided on something for Ingrid to wear – a pair of grey leggings and a light pink and white long-sleeved shirt with polka-dots. _Well, he's not wrong_ , she thought as she turned back, placing the folded clothes on the free end of the table. "A bit of both, maybe," she admitted.

"You're evil," he muttered as he picked up the shirt, trying his best to slide it over her without hurting the tiny thing. He did not need to be hurting a baby by putting on a goddamn shirt, no way. But then Ingrid started… squealing. Lucy was still laughing, most likely at watching him struggle, Bickslow had decided. But Ingrid was squealing and it almost sounded like laughing.

He was convinced Ingrid was probably laughing at him, too.

"Now you're both laughing. Great." Bickslow briefly looked up to Lucy who was still laughing quietly before looking back down to Ingrid. He shook his head when he realised he was smiling. _When the hell did that happen?_ Something about it was contagious, and he had a feeling it was Ingrid's smile. Something about her red eyes (that just happened to match his own) looking up at him as she smiled and squealed was making him smile and forget he had a pounding headache for a few moments. Bickslow didn't understand it, but… he was honestly too happy to care at that very moment. "You're both evil."

Lucy had found the entire situation way more entertaining than she had anticipated. Sure, she'd found it equally as disgusting, but watching someone else do it was absolutely brilliant, and somehow having Bickslow do it… well, it was almost too good. He was so far out of his comfort zone (more so than usual, she'd noticed), but she couldn't help but wonder if the other Bickslow had had the same kind of experience and reaction to getting put on _diaper duty_. Lucy realised the other version of herself probably would have been standing there laughing if it had been the same, so she didn't feel as bad about making the man struggle.

But then Ingrid had started laughing – she'd squealed and smiled the previous day whenever Lucy had changed her, but she wouldn't have called it laughing – and Lucy just just hadn't been able to stop herself from giggling. Something about it was just so… happy. It was warm and familiar, and it was like they were a tiny, weird family, even if it was just for a split second when everyone was laughing – mostly at Bickslow, admittedly.

Lucy had to admit she was a little proud of him, though. Considering he'd never even held a baby until the day before, there he was on day two of kind-of-not-really-a-parent-but-sort-of-a parent and he hadn't run out of the room screaming. Lucy had almost been expecting it. Hands up, backing out slowly, shaking his head and muttering to himself about babies being disgusting and how he was going to run away and join the circus, or something like that.

But he hadn't actually done a bad job. It wasn't like Lucy knew what she was doing. In fact, most of it had been guess-work after the first time she'd had to do it and Bickslow had left the room in a hurry, but she still expected Bickslow to screw up a few times between making sure the diaper wasn't too tight or too loose, or even getting her clothes on. But no, he'd actually done pretty well.

"Please tell me that's all there is," Bickslow said when he'd finally finished getting the clothes on. _Leggings. Goddamn leggings. Leggings are evil._

Lucy nodded as she picked Ingrid up from the table. She'd finally stopped laughing, but Ingrid was still making small squealing noises every few seconds. "That's all there is."

"Thank god for that," he sighed. And finally, he turned to head for the door and get the fuck out of there. _That was way more stressful than I'd thought._

As Bickslow left the room and went to the kitchen, presumably, Lucy smiled as she took Ingrid's tiny wrist in her hand, shaking it slightly as she drew the attention of the tiny human. "I hope that was as entertaining for you as it was for me. Now, let's go get you something for breakfast."


	9. Chapter 9

Bickslow just wanted coffee.

And something to eat.

Coffee and food, really, but the problem was that he hadn't really figured out the whole _food_ and _cooking_ thing, especially when it came to breakfast. He didn't do mornings, so he was almost never awake for breakfast. The only reason he'd ever be awake at that kind of hour would be if he had a train to catch with his team, or if he was already on a job and was sharing a room with Freed, which happened more often than not. The guy had an issue with waking up at terrible hours (but then again, Bickslow considered anything before 10 a.m. a horrible hour), but the fact that Freed was an amazing cook more than made up for it.

So as Bickslow sluggishly walked into the kitchen to start boiling the water for his coffee, he heard the same ringing and vibrating he had the day before. _Phone. Where the hell is it?_

He spied it sitting on the coffee table and he climbed over the back of the sofa, seating himself on it as he reached to pick up his phone. Bickslow groaned when he saw the name of the caller, but pressed the green button and brought it up to his ear anyway.

"Freed," Bickslow said as he closed his eyes. The curtains had been left open and the room was way too bright for him.

"Good morning, Bickslow. How are you this morning?" came Freed's usual monotonous yet chipper greeting. _At least that hasn't changed_ , Bickslow thought.

"What do you want?"

"Well, it appears that we are all still here—"

"No shit."

"—and I'm requesting yours and Lucy's presence in Laxus' apartment. Preferably in the next half an hour. We have a bit to get through today," Freed continued.

Bickslow groaned as he brought his free hand up, running it down his face. "It's too early. I don't even know the ti—"

"It is six thirty-four ," Freed said as he cut Bickslow off mid-sentence.

"Six thirty in the fucking morning?" Bickslow groaned. It's too early for this. "Freed, I'm not getting there in the next half an hour. No fucking way."

"Did I mention Mirajane will be cooking breakfast for everyone?"

Bickslow dropped his hand from his face finally as he opened his eyes, squinting as the harsh rays blinded him momentarily. God knew he was a sucker for food, and Mira's cooking, well… Freed was good, but Mira was on a whole new level.

When Bickslow didn't respond and the line was silent, Freed wondered if the connection had been lost. After all, the technology was new to him and he was still figuring it out himself. "Bickslow?"

Another groan came from Bickslow as he got up from the lounge. "Fine. Half an hour, right?"

Freed was somewhat pleased with himself and he smiled slightly. "That is correct. See you soon, Bickslow," he said, and hung up.

And then the line went silent once again and Bickslow knew that to be the connection being ended. He dropped the phone on the lounge as he turned to head down the hall. _Mira better have coffee there._

First though, he had to have a shower. Again. He could vaguely remember having a shower the night before, but he was still feeling like he could sleep for the next year so a shower was definitely going to help with that.

Lucy was finally coming out of the nursery as Bickslow passed the door to it and stopped outside the hallway entrance to the bathroom, his hand resting on the handle. He turned his head towards Lucy who was heading towards the kitchen. He didn't pause between pushing the door open and calling out, "Breakfast at Laxus' in half an hour."

Lucy stopped and turned back to face Bickslow, readjusting her hold on Ingrid, "Oh, okay," Lucy said. "Are you having a shower before we go?" she asked a little louder as he disappeared into the bathroom.

"Yeah. Feel free to join me though," Bickslow called from within the bathroom, smirking to himself as he closed the door behind himself. If he was going to be stuck there, he was at least going to have fun. Although he admittedly couldn't remember saying the exact same thing to Lucy just the night before.

Lucy's breath caught as the door closed. With a light shake of her head and another smile to Ingrid, she turned and placed her in the highchair at the end of the table. She could understand Bickslow inviting her to shower with him when he was drunk, but when he was sober, too? Sure, he was hungover as hell, but she didn't think he'd still be saying that kind of thing. Lucy once again found herself wondering if Bickslow said such things just to get a rise out of her. Hell, it would probably make sense if that were the case.

So instead of actually getting anything for Ingrid's breakfast like she had planned to do (and was probably supposed to be doing), she found herself in a very one-sided conversation with the infant. She wasn't crying. In fact, she seemed quite content listening to what was essentially Lucy talking to herself out loud.

"Do you think I should make Bickslow do everything today?" Lucy leant forward over the counter as she rested her chin in her palm as her free hand drummed on the counter. "Yeah, maybe I should. It can be his punishment for getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon and leaving me to take care of you alone – not that that was hard or anything," Because really, looking after Ingrid had been surprisingly easy considering she knew next to nothing about babies. "Yeah. Good idea. He can do everything for you today. You can wait a few more minutes before you have breakfast, right?"

Ingrid, being the almost five-month-old tiny human she was, could only smile and giggle quietly occasionally at Lucy, as if to say, _'yeah, I have no idea what you're saying so I'm just going to smile and laugh and indulge you.'_

Lucy rolled her eyes as she straightened up, realising that she was already going insane. "I'm talking to a baby who has no idea what I'm saying. I'm already crazy," she mumbled to herself.

From the hall and the bedroom, the shower couldn't be heard, which was something that would prove to be frustrating. So as Lucy now stood in front of what was her side of the wardrobe, staring at the hanging clothes and the drawers that she had yet to go through entirely, she wondered what she was going to wear that day. It wasn't like she could go out in her pyjamas which consisted of loose shorts and a singlet, as much as she wanted to because they really were comfortable. Lucy realised she didn't know what would be appropriate to wear either. It was February, and she'd usually be back to wearing her usual skirts and crop combo (with the occasional cardigan), but she didn't know what the Magnolia 2.0 weather was like. Was it getting warmer like Magnolia usually was, or would it still have that icy chill to the air? She just didn't know.

So when she gave up trying to figure out the weather without going outside, she began to rifle through the clothing that was hanging up or stowed away in the drawers in the wardrobe.

 _Skirts, skirts, skirts. How many skirts do I own? Hmm, no. Not a skirt today. Or a dress. Or… that. Wow, do I actually own something like that?_

She picked up random articles of clothing from the drawers, examining them quickly before throwing them back in (neatly) and moving on to the next piece of folded up clothing. Eventually, she came across a pair of white skinny-jeans that looked comfortable enough, followed by a flowy tank top in a shade of burgundy.

It was as Lucy was still getting dressed that the door connecting the bathroom and bedroom opened, and through it walked Bickslow with one towel hanging low on his hips and the other being run back and forth through his hair. His eyes remained downcast as he walked across the hardwood floor and towards the wardrobe, but as he got closer he raised his head slightly.

 _Jeans… white jeans._

And slowly, he continued looking higher and higher, his eyes getting wider the higher they got.

 _White jeans… Holy fuck, does her ass look good in those. And, oh, wow… Skin… more skin…_ _Fuck me, does she not know I'm here?_

With a mental shake of his head, he cleared his throat. As much as he would have loved to see more of… well, Lucy… If she had turned around and he was still standing there, he realised he probably would have been killed a few seconds later. If he made his presence known, on the other hand, it wouldn't be so bad. Or so he could hope.

Lucy jumped at the sound and then froze in the middle of pulling her shirt on over her head. She hadn't heard the shower stop (not that she could really hear it running anyway) and she hadn't heard the door being opened, nor Bickslow's footsteps across the room. As she lowered her shirt slowly, realising that her entire back was exposed to the infamous Seith mage (or, the magicless Seith mage), a blush crept up her neck and onto her cheeks as she turned slowly.

"U-Um…" she stuttered as she tried to avoid looking at Bickslow who was standing by the foot of the bed and just in front of her. She didn't know what to say.

Even Bickslow thought it was a little awkward _._ "Yeah… uh, are you done in here?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry…" she mumbled, "I should probably go out there… and check on Ingrid…" She nodded to herself as she moved from the spot she had been standing on and past Bickslow towards the door. Unfortunately, she hadn't noticed the small puddles on the floor that Bickslow had left and as she walked past him, she slipped on one of them.

She yelped when her foot first slipped out from under her, and she held out her arms to brace herself. But instead of colliding with the hardwood floor, an arm wrapped around the front of her waist and brought her upright once again.

"Floor's wet," Bickslow said quietly with a smirk as he removed his arm from around Lucy's waist and brought it back to his side, turning to head to his own side of the wardrobe. He may have been hungover, but he could still stop someone from slipping. Bickslow could only grin as he heard the bedroom door being slammed shut as Lucy all but ran out into the hall.

The elevator came to a stop on the 26th floor and Bickslow stared at the metal doors of the elevator that were opening slowly. It was bad enough Lucy had essentially put him on 'parenting duty' for the day (which he really didn't understand because he didn't understand the concept of actually being a parent, and he didn't _want_ to understand it), but if a bunch of rowdy teenagers had decided to get on the elevator at that moment, he might have just used his Figure Ey— _nope, no magic. Fuck._

Bickslow all but sighed in relief when the doors opened to reveal an equally as hung-over Gajeel and an incredibly irritated Levy.

"Morni—" e started to say quietly, glancing down at Ingrid as he adjusted the bottle with the formula he was holding in one hand. _Damn it, why can't she feed herself?_

"Don't talkm" Gajeel muttered bitterly as he moved into the back corner of the elevator, folding his arms across his chest as he leant against the wall.

Lucy smirked at the almost sulking Gajeel in the corner before turning to short woman next to her with a smile. "Morning, Levy," she said cheerfully.

Levy sighed as she grabbed onto the railing, steadying herself as the elevator lurched with the ascent again, "Morning, Lu," Levy sighed. Her free hand went to rub at her lower back, wincing slightly as she pressed into the sore muscles. "Gosh, this sucks. My back hurts so much," she mumbled.

"Quit complainin' already," Gajeel grumbled. Bickslow could only shake his head as he smirked to himself, knowing that Gajeel's headache (and his own headache at that) was about to get a lot worse. He, at least, knew not to tell a pregnant woman to stop complaining.

"Oh, shut up. This is your fault!" Levy groaned as she pushed herself up from where she leant on the railing, stepping out into the small foyer outside Laxus' apartment.

"Is not!" Gajeel shot back, following the group out of the elevator.

"It kinda is…" Lucy said quietly

"Thank you, Lucy!" Levy said, throwing her hands up in the air.

Gajeel stopped with everyone else in the small room as they all stood in a circle for whatever reason. Apparently their current argument was the more important issue, instead of… well, food. Or finding out more about the entire situation. "Oi. That's no fair," he huffed, glaring at Lucy before he folded his arms across his chest once again. "Bicks, you're on my side, right?"

"Huh?" Bickslow blinked a few times as he looked between the three of them. He honestly had no interest in the topic, so with a shrug he turned and headed towards the arch that led into the main living area of Laxus' apartment. "Sorry, I'm on my own side for this one."

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

So as the rest turned and hurried behind Bickslow, they continued their argument, causing Bickslow to roll his eyes as he made his way into the bright living space.

"Uncle Bicks!"

All four of them stopped as a small boy suddenly came running from the kitchen counter where Mira was standing, mixing up something in a large bowl with her usual smile.

 _Uncle… Bicks? Huh?_ Bickslow looked down at the small blonde child who was apparently clinging to his leg. He looked up to see Laxus sitting on one of the stools at the counter, shaking his head before pressing his palm to his forehead and leaning his elbow on the counter. Evergreen was snickering from where she sat on the lounge with Elfman, and Freed looked like he needed to pick his jaw up from the ground.

"Blake…" Mira said as she moved to open the fridge. Then, as she looked over her shoulder at the group near the apartment entrance that still looked too shocked to move, she said with another smile, "Why don't you let go of Bickslow and come help me again?"

 _Blake?! Don't tell me Laxus has a kid too? Fucking hell. What is this world?_

" _'Uncle Bicks'_ , huh?" Gajeel mocked, snickering slightly, leaving Bickslow to instantly wish he could elbow the guy in the stomach. But he couldn't, because his arms were otherwise occupied by Ingrid.

So as the blonde child toddled off into the kitchen after letting go of Bickslow's leg, the group followed Laxus over to the large dining table (that was really more like a conference table just because of the sheer size of it). From the main living area alone, it was evident that Mira and Laxus liked having guests over, and lots of them at that, which was a bit of a change from Laxus' usual personality. That, or they just wanted to fill the space.

Laxus had refused to explain the entire _Blake_ situation until everyone had arrived, saving himself from explaining it multiple times most likely. And slowly, as everyone arrived, the chairs surrounding the large dining table became filled.

As Mira placed the last plates on table and took her seat just to the side of where Laxus sat at one end, she looked over to Blake who was emerging from the hall. "Blake, sweetie. Why don't you go and watch the TV?" She smiled sweetly at the boy who was giddy with excitement.

"TV before school?!" Blake said with wide eyes before running off into a room off the side of the living area, carefully carrying the plate with the toast as he did so.

* * *

Not too long after that, a woman with a dark haired boy that looked to be about the same age as Blake entered the apartment, seemingly taking Blake off to the school and leaving Laxus incredibly glad the kid would be gone, if only for a little while. He didn't do the whole kids thing. Not at all.

And as soon as they had all left the living room, many eyes went to Laxus and Mira who sat at one end of the table. The two had refused to answer any questions or even talk about their current situation until Blake had left, so they'd just had to eat in silence (which wasn't a problem because somehow, Mira had already figured out the whole cooking in Magnolia 2.0 thing and the food was really fucking great – according to Bickslow and Natsu, anyway).

Laxus sighed as he put down his own mug of coffee, looking up at everyone at the table. Bickslow who sat on his other side didn't seem too interested. _Thank god for that_ , Laxus told himself, and it was probably because he was too preoccupied with keeping Ingrid entertained on his lap. Well, it was more of a case of entertaining himself, it seemed. Lucy was staring at Mira who was staring at Ingrid, and Gajeel was… apparently falling asleep in his chair, much like Natsu who sat opposite him. The remaining Strauss' were looking between both Mira and Laxus, and so was Evergreen. Freed was looking at his notes, once again, and while Juvia was staring at the ring on her hand, Gray was staring at Laxus, also waiting for the explanation.

"Alright, fine. Just ask already," Laxus finally said as he leant back in his chair, folding his arms across his broad chest.

And just like that, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and started shouting their questions at the two of them.

"You two have a kid?!" Natsu had asked, waking up and knocking the table slightly.

"Yes," Mira said with a smile.

"How old is he?"

"What the fuck is a TV?"

"Yeah, that's not a bad question…"

"Why the fuck am I ' _Uncle Bicks'_?"

"Language, Bickslow!"

"Alright, alright…"

"Gi-hi, Sparkplug is a daddy."

"Alright, you can all shut up now," Laxus growled with a roll of his eyes. A tiny part of him had hoped they could be somewhat civilised about it, but then the other part of him mentally cringed. It was Fairy Tail. There was nothing civilised about them.

"He's three and a half," Mira said cheerfully as everyone quieted down.

"How do you know?" Erza asked.

Mira shrugged. "Small children love telling you their age, so I asked."

"Wait… But we were here yesterday…" Lisanna said quietly as her brow furrowed in confusion, looking down at the table.

"He was at school yesterday morning. Anyway," Laxus cleared his throat, raising his eyes to meet Freed's. "Moving on. Freed? Know anything else?"

"Ah, yes. Of course." Freed stood from his chair, picking up his notebook and tucking it under his arm as he did so. "If you'd all follow me, please."

And so everyone slowly made their way out into the small foyer just outside the elevator as they waited for the doors to open before all piling into the metal box. With everyone inside, it made it incredibly cramped. Evergreen was pressed into Elfman's side while Gajeel was up against Levy's back as she held onto the railing once again. Not that she really needed to use it to steady herself as the elevator lurched because she was surrounded by bodies who would hold her up – whether they intended to or not.

Bickslow held Ingrid in one arm as he held up his free hand, looking between Ingrid's own tiny hands and his own, well, in comparison, giant hand. He didn't know why he found the fact that her hands were so god damn small so interesting, but he did. Plus, they were kind of cute because she was kind of cute, not that he would admit that out loud.

"Where are we going?" Laxus asked Freed in his usual monotonous voice. He didn't want to be in that tiny metal room any longer than necessary – especially with so many people he hated (for the most part).

"The lobby," Freed replied as he pressed the corresponding button on the panel. "And then the garage."

"Garage?" Natsu echoed as Freed nodded in confirmation.

"I'll explain it when we get there. For now, consider this a tour of sorts."

Bickslow rolled his eyes as his free hand went to hold Ingrid more securely, seemingly done with his game of 'whose hand is bigger'. "Damn, Freed. How much have you found out already?" he mumbled.

"Not as much as I'd have hoped given the current predicament, but I do believe what I have learned will be of essential use in our day-to-day lives," he said. "Well, assuming we are stuck in this world for a longer period of time than anticipated."

"…So you haven't found anything about getting back to our own world?" Levy asked.

"I'm afraid not. If there was magic in this world it would be easier to pinpoint the exact cause, but without it, it is near impossible." Which was the truth. If there was magic, then there'd no doubt be something he could do to find out whether it was some bizarre spell or an illusion or something of the sort. If there was magic, there'd be tell-tale signs for what it was, but… there was nothing. Absolutely nothing that suggested that they had even come from a different world in the first place. To anyone else, they'd seem like their usual selves, and Freed had already found that out when he'd explored the building the previous afternoon.

Whether he liked it or not, based on the limited information Freed had obtained, it was becoming more and more likely and evident that they were to be stuck in Magnolia 2.0.

* * *

The lobby, for the most part, had been… interesting. The man who sat at the front desk near the wall of mailboxes seemed to be in love with Mirajane and his comment about how he missed her photo-shoots as of late just made Laxus snarl. He may not have been able to use any of his magic, but he was still a dragon at heart. Or so he liked to think.

The floor to ceiling windows that covered the front part of the building where the doors were located lit up the room an immense amount, and for the first time, they all got to see what Magnolia was like at ground level (apart from Freed), even if it was just through a few windows.

Countless people in their skirts and blouses or suits and ties that briskly walked past the building, most of them talking into their phones or messaging others or doing something else. None of them had really figured out what phones could do, though. Numerous taxis went down the street, mostly at a slow pace. It was the early morning rush; everyone trying to get to work or school. The noise from the streets was heard inside the apartment complex and all anyone could do was stand there and listen. Sirens, car horns, engines, people chattering away, the sound the numerous heels hitting the pavement as they walked past. It was all new to them and it was almost too much.

It was almost as if everything had become so… real.

It was as if they finally began to see just how different Magnolia 2.0 was. They were all used to the relatively quiet, peaceful life that was living in Magnolia – _their_ Magnolia. But everything there… everything there was so new. So many new noises, sights… everything. Everything was new, and it scared the living hell out of all of them. They were supposed to be a part of that world, and there they were, standing on the ground floor of where they all lived and they didn't know what to do.

Thankfully, Freed, having seen most of it the day before could rouse everyone, and so, with a loud clear of his throat he got their attention. "Now, if you'd all follow me to the garage."

Everyone was a little thankful for Freed at that moment whether they'd admit it out loud or not. So as they all remained silent (partly due to their new feelings of almost complete helplessness), they piled into the elevator once again and went down to the garage.

And of course, as they all then stood there in the middle of the apartment building's garage, they couldn't do anything. They didn't know what they were looking at, but whatever it was, they were looking at a lot of them.

"Magic four-wheelers?" Erza muttered quietly as she looked around at all of the cars.

Freed shook his head as he turned around to face the group, opening up his notebook and glancing down at it briefly. "Not exactly. They are vehicles, but do not utilise the SE-Plugs that we are familiar with."

"So what, then?"

Another glance at his notebook. "I'm not sure of that yet," Freed looked to Natsu who was busy looking around the large room that seemed to know no end, "Natsu, I heard your Edolas counter-part used a magic vehicle that is more closely related to that of this world. Do you know what it was powered by?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head as he looked up in thought. "Hmm, I think it was lacrima or something. Do you think these use the same?" he asked.

"Can't be, Salamander. No magic means no lacrima, you idiot," Gajeel muttered.

"Hey, shut up!" Natsu shot back before Freed cleared his throat once again.

"Not lacrima, but from what I can tell, it would appear to be something similar. A fuel or sorts, perhaps," Freed said as he tucked his notebook under his arm once again, turning and walking slowly through the rows of parked cars. "Anyway, you all would have received a message from either myself, Laxus, or Erza this morning about bringing any keys you found with you. Did you all do so?" He asked over his shoulder.

Lucy turned to look up at Bickslow. "You still have them, right?" she asked. She'd handed him the keys after she'd locked the apartment door and had completely forgotten about them.

"Yes," Bickslow said as he rolled his eyes before moving Ingrid to his other side. He wasn't gonna lie – holding a baby for close to an hour was strangely tiring and his arms were starting to hurt. But of course, Lucy wasn't going to do anything about it.

And then, once Freed was confident everyone had confirmed that they'd brought the keys they'd found in their apartments with them, he turned to face the group once again, stopping everyone in their tracks in what was essentially the middle of the road. "I gather you all do, so good. Now, these bays are assigned to your floor and apartment number by the looks of it, so I would suggest going off to find your designated area and vehicles, if you have one," He pulled his own set of keys out of his pocket and showcased the largest one with the black holder and buttons. "If you have a key that looks similar to this, it would be wise to assume that you own the vehicle it belongs to." He pause as he watched as everyone look down at their own sets of keys they held, looking at the largest of the keys on the rings. "We'll meet back here in say, thirty minutes? That should be sufficient to go through your vehicles, should you have one. This place echoes, so shout if any of you get into any trouble."

"Yes, mother," Evergreen mumbled as she began to drag Elfman off in one direction.

Much like everyone else, Bickslow and Lucy went off in search for their designated bay (or bays, since they weren't really sure). The columns that supported the ceiling were numbered every few bays and they found themselves walking towards the other side of the car park along with Laxus and Mira, and Gajeel and Levy (though those two seemed to have fallen behind, as confirmed by Gajeel's complaints about Levy's speed).

So as they approached the area designated to the occupants of the 24th floor and looked towards the bays and the three vehicles in that section, they found themselves looking towards the painted numbers in each bay and continued walking until they stood at the end of the one they had been looking for – number four.

"So… what now?" Lucy asked as she looked towards the large vehicle before them, moving into the empty bay that sat next to it.

"I dunno," Bickslow shrugged.

She turned to Bickslow, scowling slightly. "Well, where are the keys?" she asked.

"In my pocket."

"…Can you get them out?"

"My hands are a little full right now," Bickslow replied with a smirk before glancing down at Ingrid who seemed to have fallen asleep on his chest and in his arms without him noticing. _Huh…_

Lucy rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to him, narrowing her eyes as she folded her arms under her chest and met his gaze. "Which pocket?"sShe asked.

"But that would ruin the fun," Bickslow pouted as his smirk turned into a wide grin

Internally, Lucy was screaming at herself for even considering doing what she was, well… considering. She should have been telling him to get the goddamn keys out of his own god amn pocket, but Lucy knew enough about Bickslow to know that he wouldn't have done that, no matter how much she'd pester him about it.

So with her mouth in a firm line, she unfolded her arms and stepped forwards again, closing the distance between them considerably as she held his gaze. She could see the playfulness in his eyes, and she realised that once again, he was having fun with it. Lucy knew that Bickslow was the type of person that always had fun; always finding ways to make a game of things or at least make things a little interesting and entertaining to himself and occasionally others (though she reasoned it was mostly for his own entertainment). The fact that he was trying to get her to put her hands in his pockets, well… she figured that was just another side of his personality coming through; the side that allowed him to invite her to join him in the shower without faltering.

Lucy reached in his left front pocket of his black jeans first, never breaking eye contact with him. Her mouth stayed in the firm line, borderline scowl, while Bickslow's grin somehow grew wider. _He's having way too much fun with this_.

"Hmm, looks like that's the wrong pocket," Bickslow chuckled as she pulled out his phone, eyeing it curiously as she held it up. Though he was only grinning (like the fool that he was), inside he was having an absolute ball. He'd never expected her to actually reach into his pockets to fish out the set of keys, but there she was… with her hand in his pocket and oh so close to where he'd really love her hand to be. But that aside, he was a little shocked she'd done it. Though he knew little about the blonde before him, he knew enough about her personality to know that she didn't just give in like that – and Bickslow was the same. If she had stood there long enough telling him to get them out of his own pocket, he would have done it… eventually. It would have been a case of who could break first, really.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she felt her cheeks heat up again, her blush growing darker from the situation she'd found herself in. "Oh, shut up," She muttered as she pressed it back into his pocket before reaching into his other pocket, instantly feeling the slightly cool metal of the set of keys and pulling them out and increasing the distance between them.

A little ways down the garage, in the area designated to the occupants of the 26th floor of the building, Gajeel and Levy stood there gawking at what they had just witnessed. Even further down, Laxus was doing the same as Mira rifled through the boot of the dark grey SUV.

"What the fuck is Bunny-girl doing?" Gajeel muttered as he pressed the 'unlock' button on his own set of keys.

Levy instantly pulled the door that she had been leaning on open before sitting down on the soft, leather seat on the passenger side. "A part of me just doesn't even want to know…" She said quietly as she looked down at the console between the seats, wondering what everything there was for.

Bickslow stood with one eyebrow raised as he looked towards Lucy. He didn't know whether to burst out laughing or just continue standing there, wondering what the hell she was doing. She stood with one hand on her hip, her other arm outstretched and holding the set of keys with the largest key in her hand and her feet spread. She stood like that for a few seconds, and when Bickslow couldn't take it anymore he moved over to one of the doors, pulling on the handle, only to find out it was actually locked. He looked over his shoulder to stare at the blonde, once again feigning the urge to laugh at her expression.

"Are you gonna stand there or unlock it or something?" He asked.

"I'm scared… I don't know what it's going to do. I'm preparing myself," Lucy replied as she narrowed her eyes and looked at the key in her hand. She really was scared, and she knew it was stupid. There were three buttons on the key, and none of them were labelled. She didn't know if something would explode or if every door on the black SUV would come flying open – possibly sending Bickslow and Ingrid to the floor in the process. If he hadn't been holding a baby, well… she probably wouldn't have cared.

But the fact was that there was a possibility there'd be things inside the vehicle that would fill them in on some smaller (hopefully bigger) details of their lives in that world.

With a roll of his eyes, Bickslow took a step back, suddenly a little paranoid that something could happen that wouldn't be… well, pleasant. After all, he'd thought that pressing a button on his phone would cause something to explode somewhere, and the vehicle was definitely a lot bigger than a phone. "Just press a button, for fuck's sake."

"Okay! Fine!" she huffed, and as her face turned to that of worry, her thumb pressed down one of the three buttons and she waited for what could possibly happen. _Who knows, maybe it will actually just unlock the doors? I need to stop worrying about things. Nothing has gone wrong-_

Before she could even finish her reassuring thought, the car alarm started blaring as the indicators flashed every second. Bickslow jumped away and Lucy dropped the keys at the sudden sound. If the alarm wasn't so loud that it echoed throughout the entire garage and seemed to make it ten times louder, Ingrid had begun to cry (well, more screaming than crying) and everything in that moment was just a mess. It was a chaotic mess.

So as Bickslow tried his best to comfort the screaming baby in his arms and when he realised he had absolutely no fucking idea how to, he turned to the blonde and held Ingrid out to her. "What did you do?!" He shouted over the blaring alarm and Ingrid as he bent down to pick up the keys.

Lucy obligingly took Ingrid in her shaky arms, still a little startled from the situation. "I-I don't know!" she replied as she gently rocked Ingrid, trying to soothe her. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay," she said softly as she held the back of Ingrid's head, smoothing over the light hair. Lucy realised her attempts at getting Ingrid to calm down would be in vain until the alarm was somehow silence. She just had to hope it would be soon.

So with Bickslow's headache getting increasingly worse the longer the alarm kept going, as well as Ingrid's crying, he frantically pressed every button on the key, hoping that one of them would shut the God damn thing up.

And somehow, he managed to press the right button. The flashing lights had stopped, as well as the alarm. Ingrid's crying, however, well… Lucy was still working on that. The only problem was that he didn't know which button Lucy had pressed to cause the alarm to go off in the first place, and he didn't know which one he'd pressed to make it stop. _Ah, well… time to experiment_ , he told himself as he he cautiously pressed the first one. It triggered the alarm, so he pressed it again. _Silence. Good. At least we're getting somewhere with this stupid thing._

So with the first button being designated to the alarm for whatever reason, he was free to move on to the second button. The lights flashed once and he could vaguely hear an unlocking mechanism over Lucy and Ingrid, so he stepped forward to pull on the handle, relieved when the door opened and he could finally look inside the vehicle.

Too many things he didn't understand and he didn't want to understand at that moment in time, so he just shut the door and pressed the third, trying the door once again to find that it was locked. Inside, he high-fived himself for figuring out the whole car-key-remote-button situation..

"I'm just going to go back to the apartment. She's probably tired by now," Lucy said over the crying and Bickslow turned to look over his shoulder just in time to see the blonde turn and head towards the end of the garage they'd all started at.

For a short moment, Bickslow didn't particularly care that she'd be going back to the apartment. If anything, it got Ingrid away from him and a part of him felt bad for even thinking that (not that he really understood why), but the guy had a headache. Screaming babies and car alarms don't go well, especially when they're both in an underground garage that echoes.

But it was only for a short moment because Bickslow remembered he was still holding the set of the keys – the keys that included the one to their apartment that they'd locked before going to Laxus'. He had no choice but to follow the crying child.


	10. Chapter 10

It was on their fourth day of being in Magnolia 2.0 did they decide to leave the apartment building as a group and venture off into the unknown that they'd been observing from the safety of their apartments that sat multiple floors off the ground. On this particular day, it was just a bit of exploring, really. By that point, everyone was getting a bit restless from being cooped up in their apartments all day so the opportunity to go exploring was taken extremely well. And of course, Freed had been the one to suggest it.

They were essentially tourists in their own home town and it was a strange feeling to see the least.

So they walked and every now and then, they'd come across something they recognised – whether it be a street name or a statue or a park. There were small things from _their_ world, and honestly, some of them looked out of place. Kardia Cathedral was no exception – from the way it sat nestled between the sky-high buildings that looked like they were made completely of glass or the way that it looked like it had been rebuilt about ten-times over, each time getting further and further away from what it originally looked like. But it was still Kardia Cathedral, that much was certain.

But from ground level, it was hard to see just how much had changed. So what did they do? The headed towards the one place they knew always had the best view of the town: the outskirts of Magnolia.

Except they weren't the outskirts there. Instead, they felt like they were only in the middle of it. Behind them were hundreds, if not thousands of homes, ranging from quaint and charming to large and luxurious, each with yards and white-picket-fences that screamed _suburbia_ – a concept none were too familiar with. In front of them, however, sat the bustling city; the _city_ of Magnolia.

What was once the cliff looking over the town was now a park. Everything had changed around them and for the first time, they could see just how different it was. Almost everything, actually. There was one thing that remained the same, no matter what world, and that was the view. It was the only reason they'd come up there in the first place (after getting lost and heading down a few wrong streets from the new street layouts that for the most part had stayed the same).

Bickslow watched as Mira sat on the grass with Blake and Ingrid, Laxus hovering nearby, scowling at almost everything in sight.

"How's married life?" Cana slurred, swaying slightly as she came to lean on Bickslow's shoulder. It was barely noon and the girl was already wasted – something that had always amazed and worried Bickslow.

"Sleeping on the couch, so, great?" Bickslow grinned as he sat down on the grass, leaning back on his palms as he crossed his legs.

But honestly, _married life_ did suck, but then again it wasn't exactly like he was _really_ married. After finding the laundry to the side of the small study nook (really, it had surprised them both that neither of them had decided to go through that door until the third day) and the cupboards within it, Bickslow had been exiled to the lounge. Well… exiled wasn't exactly the right word either, because he'd offered to sleep on the lounge. He was really just being dramatic when he considered it to be banishment.

It was really only the sleeping arrangements that were making the so called _married life_ suck. You'd think it would be the whole _waking-up-to-find-out-you-have-a-five-month-old-baby_ thing making it terrible, but it really wasn't. Ingrid was fucking awesome, and it had only taken Bickslow four days to realise that. Although, he didn't know if it was actually _him_ him thinking that, or if it was the fact that he was having some seriously mixed feelings about everything and he'd put it down to the fact that he was in the other Bickslow's body. Honestly, he'd tried to stop thinking about it though because it just got confusing and weird.

"Aw, don't let Lucy hear you say that," Cana chuckled as she fell to the ground beside him, sipping away on the wine bottle she'd brought.

Just on the other side of the park, Lucy sat with Levy on one of the many benches by the stone fence that ran along the very edge of the cliff edge.

"I really don't think I'll be able to walk all the way back to the apartments," Levy sighed as her hand rubbed circles over her belly.

Lucy laughed as she leant an elbow on the back of the bench, resting her chin in her palm. "It's only a ten minute walk, Levy."

"And I'm only eight months pregnant and the size of a whale right now. You try walking for ten minutes like that."

"Eight months? Really?"

Levy nodded, "Flicked through the calendar last night and saw the 24th circled with _'due date'_ written in it."

"That's amazing!" Lucy squealed in excitement before her face dropped and she added quietly, "...I think."

"I'm still hoping we're back home by then," Levy mumbled.

As Levy turned her head to watch the children screaming happily as they ran around and played on the playground that wasn't too far away from where they were all scattered around, Lucy instead turned to look at where Mira was sitting. Instead of having Ingrid in her lap like she had before, she had Blake and it was Bickslow who had Ingrid.

She couldn't help but smile as she watched them, much like a few of the others had done – namely Laxus, Evergreen, and Freed. He was lying on his back with Ingrid on his chest, grinning as her small hands were reaching out to grab at anything on his face.

It was funny how it was only day four of being in that world (with no signs of being able to get back to their own), and even though it had been such a short amount of time, so many things had changed drastically. When it came to Ingrid, Bickslow was now all for play time and keeping her occupied when she needed to be. He still absolutely despised changing her, but Lucy still made him do it occasionally.

As Erza and Freed came to a decision that it was time to leave the park and head back to the apartments, Levy groaned in annoyance just from being told to move as Lucy helped her up to her feet. It wasn't long before they were walking downhill and into the city again, Lucy pushing Ingrid in the stroller (the one that had been folded up in the back of the car, once they'd had a chance to go back down to the garage after the entire alarm and crying baby fiasco) and Levy walking just beside her with a stumbling Cana.

And so when they finally reached the apartment building again, all of them thankful that they didn't manage to get lost on the way back, they stopped in the lobby as they waited for the lift.

Freed pulled his phone out from his pocket (apparently it was replacing his notebook) and scrolled through some things before looking up, addressing the group before him. "Alright so… I've booked us all in for a cooking class tomorrow morning at nine o'clock at a restaurant just down the street. I believe we passed it on our way back…"

"Eh?"

"Cooking class?"

"What the fuck for?"

Freed sighed as his hands went up, motioning for everyone to quiet down. "For the time being, it would be useful to be able to live to a certain… standard. As I'm sure you're aware, there are many things that are different, and that includes things like cooking and food in general. If anything, it will teach you all to understand the way the kitchen appliances work in this world," he said, walking backwards into the elevator as the doors opened.

Mira turned to look over her shoulder as she pushed Laxus into the lift. "I'm not going so I can watch Ingrid if you'd like," she offered.

"Uh… Yeah, okay…" Lucy murmured, watching as everyone but herself, Bickslow, Gajeel, and Levy piled into the elevator. "Oh… that reminds me," she began then, looking up to Bickslow as they waited for the next elevator silently. "Claire invited us over for dinner next Friday."

"Claire?"

"The one who came over the other day."

It took Bickslow a moment to get who Lucy was talking about before his face lit up with realisation. "Oh! Right. Her. Do we have to go?"

Lucy shrugged as they all walked into the empty elevator, each pressing their corresponding floors. "I don't know, maybe? It's not for like a week and a half anyway so we can decide next week. I just thought I'd bring it up now."

"Fair enough," Bickslow replied as he leant back against the bar in the lift, folding his arms across his chest as he watched the floor number change every few seconds. _Wouldn't be the worst idea,_ he thought. Lucy had told him the day before about how the woman had apparently known them since they'd moved into that apartment, so maybe she knew a little bit more about them. It never hurts to know more about someone, after all. Especially when that someone just happened to be himself.

* * *

Bickslow and Lucy collapsed onto the lounge with loud sighs after finally getting Ingrid down for a nap. They'd come to learn over the last few days that if she wasn't in her crib and on her way to being asleep by certain times of the day, then she would scream. And scream a lot, at that. Lucy was better at getting the infant to stop crying than Bickslow was, but it was really a matter of experimentation and waiting for Ingrid to just get tired of screaming. After all, it was her own precious nap time she was wasting.

"So, what room today?" Bickslow asked as he slowly turned to look towards ucy.

Ingrid's nap time had not only become a time of peace where Bickslow and Lucy were allowed to pretend they weren't parents, but it also gave them the time to go through the apartment they'd found themselves in. They'd started it after coming from the garage after the alarm fiasco, so on day three of their searching, there were still a few things to go over.

"Um, what did we do yesterday again?" she asked, furrowing her brow as she tried to recall the previous day's events. Honestly, she wasn't sleeping much.

"The desk, laundry, and out here."

"That's right…" Lucy nodded. "Bedroom, then?"

The corners of Bickslow's mouth lifted up into a small smirk. "Damn, Cosplayer. Don't make it so easy for m—okay, fine!" he said grunt as Lucy flung one of the small cushions at his face.

So they both got up from the lounge – although a little hesitantly because it was comfortable and they really were both exhausted from the entire situation – and headed towards the bedroom that was now just Lucy's.

"I'll start over here then," Bickslow mumbled as he headed towards the set of drawers near the chair in the corner as Lucy nodded, heading towards the wardrobe that she hadn't gone through completely.

And it was mostly done in silence. For the most part, the wardrobe was just clothes and shoes. Nothing too interesting, but Lucy's eyes went wide when she saw some of the dresses she owned, that, and she had to stop herself from crying when she found the maternity clothes. It was just another reminder she wasn't really herself. She had to admit some of them were cute, though.

Bickslow let out a low whistle that made Lucy turn around, and when she saw what he was holding, her face instantly went a bright red. " _Wow_. Now these are nice," he said, holding up the incredibly small piece of fabric that was a black lace thong. "I may or may not be jealous of my other self right now." _Mostly may_ , he thought.

Lucy's face resembled that of a goldfish trying to get air as she tried to think of something to say – anything to say – but instead, she had nothing. She could only make some sort of shrieking sound as she ran across the room to rip the underwear from his hands and throw them back into the drawer that was full of similar garments before slamming it shut, much to Bickslow's entertainment as he threw his head back and howled with laughter.

"Calm down," he chuckled. "They're not even really yours."

"That's not the point!" she said, the heat never leaving her face. But Bickslow was right, they weren't really hers, but at the same time… they were. Hell, they'd probably been on that body more times than she could possibly count. There was also the fact that they weren't that different from what she usually wore… but she'd rather die than let Bickslow know that small detail. It was bad enough her team knew it, but it was only because they had a habit of going through her stuff.

"Whatever." Bickslow said, waving his hand dismissively before shoving her out of the way (gently, mind you) so he could get back to going through the drawers. So far, all of the stuff was hers from what he could tell, given that the top two drawers were completely filled with makeup, and honestly, Bickslow would be the first to admit he was definitely into some weird things, but he would never be into the whole wearing makeup and lingerie thing, no matter what world he was in.

And was it a little weird he was essentially going through his not-wife-but-legally-wife's things? Yes, it was, and Bickslow would also admit that it was a little enlightening, considering he really knew next to nothing about Lucy… apart from the fact that she had a weird obsession with strawberries, almost as much as he did, considering they'd argued over it because they both really wanted to eat the goddamn strawberries, and was also apparently into some incredibly sexy lingerie, or so Bickslow hoped.

It wasn't long before Bickslow had gone through the drawers entirely, chuckling to himself occasionally or going into a slight daze when he found himself imagining what she'd look like in some of the stuff he'd found, and he was going through what was his side of the wardrobe instead.

Bickslow had always had a pretty relaxed taste when it came to clothing – when he wasn't wearing his usual get-up, that is. Usually it was just jeans and a shirt or a hoodie or something, or no clothes at all, occasionally, so there really wasn't that much difference between his Magnolia and Magnolia 2.0 wardrobes. The only thing that frustrated him was the fact that every pair of jeans he owned was incredibly fucking tight, but… after wearing them for four days, he was beginning to get used to it and find them comfortable.

The shoes, on the other hand… well, if and when they went back to their own world, he was going to miss his new favourite red Converse.

Lucy made another squeak as she pulled out a large bag, her hand over her mouth as she stared at the partially unzipped bag.

"What?" Bickslow asked, staring at the blonde and trying to see what could have possibly made her make such a noise from within the bag in a wardrobe.

"Uh… N-Nothing," she stammered, trying to shove the bag back in the wardrobe, only to have Bickslow rip it out of her hands before she could. "Bickslow!"

His mouth split into a wide grin when he unzipped it, letting the black garment bag fall to the floor around it as he held the coat hanger up. "Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant," he mumbled, turning to look at the blonde whose face was a mix of shock and embarrassment. "You should see your face right now. It's priceless."

"Shut up…" Lucy mumbled as she tried to reach for the article of clothing. If it was anything other than what it actually was, she would have pulled it from the hanger, but… she couldn't.

And then, a somewhat brilliant, or the worst idea he's possibly ever had, crossed Bickslow's mind and if it was even possible, his grin got wider. "Put it on," he said, holding the white dress out to her.

"What? No!" she shrieked.

"I promise I'll be on my best behaviour for the rest of the day if you do."

"Are you insane?"

"Yes, a little."

Lucy scoffed. "Understatement," she muttered. "Why do you even want me to put it on?!"

"Because I wanna see it," Bickslow answered with a shrug.

"There's photos out there!" Lucy yelled, pointing towards the open door to the hallway.

"Not the same." And it wasn't. Photos were different to the real thing, even if he only meant it as a joke. "I meant I want to see it _on_ you. Come on, it will be fun. Please?" he begged, doing his best attempt at a pout.

Something close to a grimace crossed Lucy's face at what she just witnessed before she sighed. "I'll put it on if you never do that face again."

And then Bickslow was back to grinning as he finally handed her the dress. "Deal."

So as Lucy stormed off to the bathroom, Bickslow moved to sit on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands to make himself comfortable because he had a feeling it was going to take her a while to get the damn dress on.

It was her apparent wedding dress, after all.

Lucy stared at herself in the mirror for a bit as she smoothed down the sides of the chiffon dress, twirling to look at every angle she possibly could. She wasn't gonna lie, it was a beautiful dress. From the way the material of the skirt was loose enough to hang freely over her hips, to the way the thin silver piece of fabric with a small gem-encrusted buckle cinched just under her bust and the way that the fabric folded over her bust in two layers to cross in the middle.

But this was the dress that she was married in. When she married Bickslow. _Bickslow_. And he was the one who wanted her to put it on in the first place.

 _What the hell am I doing? This is ridiculous._

With another sigh, she pulled the door open slowly and padded her way back into the bedroom and to the end of the bed, folding her arms across her chest. "Happy now?"

Bickslow was honestly speechless, for just a second, anyway. He stood up and stepped towards Lucy, grabbing her arms to unfold them before he let go, folding his own arms. "Turn around."

With a roll of her eyes she spun around slowly, feeling how the bottom of the dress was fanning out slightly as she did so.

Bickslow's grin was back by the time she'd stopped. "You look really good." And she really did. The wedding photos on the wall didn't do it justice, because honestly, he thought she looked stunning. In person, anyway.

"Thanks…" Lucy mumbled as she looked down, feeling her cheeks heat up again. Suddenly the entire situation had become even more ridiculous and a little awkward. _I wonder what he looks like in a tux?_ She thought. _Wait, what the hell? Don't think about that!_

And then another brilliant idea came to Bickslow. What could he say? He'd been full of brilliant ideas that morning.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lucy shrieked when Bickslow took one of her hands and he knelt down in front of her, on one knee, with that ridiculous grin plastered on his face. _What. The. Absolute. Fuck._

"Lucy 'Cosplayer' Heartfilia," Bickslow said, shuffling on his knee slightly, because kneeling in those jeans was just a little uncomfortable, as he found out. "Will you do me the honour—"

"What the hell?!"

"—of allowing me to eat the last of the strawberries?"

There was a moment of silence as Lucy stared down at Bickslow incredulously and Bickslow back up at her, the corner his mouth twitching as he tried to stop himself from smirking. But then she slowly started laughing, starting from a light giggled to a full blown laugh that had her shoulders shaking, and Bickslow couldn't help but laugh with her. It was ridiculous, after all. A part of him had done it just to make her laugh.

"You're… absolutely… insane…" she managed to get out, still not being able to control her laughter.

Bickslow stood up slowly. "Yeah, but… That's what you signed up for when you married me."

"Did not."

"You kinda did," he said, lifting up his left hand with the dark grey band on his finger and wiggling his fingers slightly.

Lucy shook her head as she turned around. "Whatever," she mumbled. Then, as she looked over her shoulder, she added, "I need to get out of this thing. Can you unzip it, please?" She'd been able to get the zip up on her own (although it had taken a little while), but she had no chance of getting it down by herself.

Bickslow froze for just another second. _It's a zip, Bicks. Chill the fuck out_. _Not like you haven't done it a million times before… just, you know… not a fucking wedding dress. It's like the same thing anyway, who cares?!_

So he reached out for the zip, expecting it to slide down easily, but it didn't. So he tried it again, and again. Nothing.

Lucy could feel the panic well up in her when she started getting shaken lightly as he tried the zip in a rougher manner. She turned over her shoulder again, trying to see what was going on. "How hard can it be?"

He looked up briefly to mumble, "Um, it's… stuck."

"Stuck?!"

"The zip is stuck." His free hand moved to her hip to steady her and she yelped slightly at the unexpected contact. He tried again then, his fingers digging in slightly to get a better grip.

"Ow!"

"Sorry…" He mumbled. "This just… This really isn't working."

"Just keep trying! I have to get this thing off." Because she didn't want to be in a wedding dress at all. It needed to go back in the garment bag where it belonged.

"I _am_ trying!" he shouted. Then, when he let go of her hip, his hand went up to the top of the dress, his fingers dipping into the bodice of it and against her back. "Shit… This is not working. At all. Can't I just rip it?" He asked, dropping both of his hands.

She turned slightly, "What?! No!" she shrieked. Even though it was really hers, there was no way in hell she was letting Bickslow rip the bloody thing off.

"Well, what do you expect me to do?"

"Just… think of something!"

Bickslow made a mental note to remind his future wife to be (if and when it did ever happen) to get a dress with fucking _buttons_ , because there was no way in hell he'd be dealing with the possibility of a stuck zipper ever again. He looked around the room for something – anything – that would help, then stopped at the bed. "Lay down," he said, pointing to the bed.

"What the hell is that going to do?"

"Just do it, okay?"

So with a huff, she turned and walked over to the bed, lifting up the hem of the dress to climb onto the bed, then laid down flat on her stomach as she folded her arms and turned her head to rest on them. When she felt the thick material lift up from her back slightly, she began to see just why Bickslow had suggested it. Maybe the dress was too tight now.

Bickslow shook his head as he climbed over her, ignoring yet another one of her shrieks when his knees rested on either side of her waist. Once again, one hand went to the zip and the other to the top of the dress to hold onto it and try and stop it from moving too much now that it was almost supporting its own weight

He could feel the zip starting to give when he pulled back on it, but it still didn't seem like it was going to be working any time soon. So he pulled harder, putting all of his strength into his arm and hand as he tried to get the damn thing to move.

Bickslow was about to give up when suddenly it became un-stuck and he'd pulled the zip all the way down to where it ended just below her hips. He didn't even get a chance to make a joke about the fact that she was wearing purple lace panties, because the zip finally moving had been so unexpected and he'd pulled so hard on it that the movement had caused him to lose his balance, and because of where he'd been kneeling, he wasn't able to steady himself with his hand because there was nothing behind him to stop him from falling. So he fell to the ground with a slight thud, his back on the floor and his legs slightly tangled up on the bed amongst Lucy's and the skirt of the dress.

There was a shriek, followed by some rustling and then a door slamming – what he could only assume was Lucy running back to the bathroom to actually get the thing off.

Bickslow sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, not bothering to move from the uncomfortable position he was in. He shook his hand lightly when the imprint the zip had left started stinging. _That was way harder than it should have been_.

"Fucking zips."


	11. Chapter 11

Bickslow rolled off the lounge and onto the floor with a grunt as Lucy walked into the living room, chipper as usual. How anyone could be awake and functioning at that ungodly hour was beyond Bickslow.

"Good morning, Bickslow," she said cheerily, bouncing Ingrid on her hip.

He pulled the blanket from the lounge and over his head, mumbling something along the lines of _'go the fuck away'_ into the floor.

She giggled slightly, followed by the sound of a squeal that was undoubtedly Ingrid. As far as Bickslow was aware, Lucy couldn't make that sound. "Come on, I need to have a shower and she's awake. She just needs to be fed," she said.

"No," Bickslow mumbled into his arm that he was using as a pillow, pulling the blanket tighter over himself.

"You can have the rest of the strawberries."

 _Damn it, she's good._ Bickslow quickly sat up, throwing the blanket back and moving to kneel on the lounge and over the back of it. "Fine. Deal," he said, stretching his arms out to take the squealing bundle before Lucy padded back down the hall with a smug grin, and honestly, Bickslow couldn't help but lean forward slightly to watch as she disappeared towards the bathroom. Her pyjama shorts were incredibly short, and well, he was Bickslow.

So he got up from the lounge again and walked around it and into the kitchen, adjusting his hold on Ingrid as he opened the fridge to get the strawberries. Honestly, he would have eaten them the day before after his proposal stunt had she not promised him the entire weekend free from parenting duties if he didn't actually eat them.

It was as he was filling up the bottle with the formula did he realise that the five-month-old in his arms was staring up at him as he placed another strawberry in his mouth. "I would give you one if she wouldn't kill me for it," he said to her as she twisted the cap on the bottle.

But she kept staring, and when he reached out to pick up another one, she followed it. _I mean… What's the harm if it's just a little bit?_ When it came to feeding Ingrid, they'd been experimenting. For the most part, it had been the formula, but she really seemed to like the pureed food, but not so much the rice cereal, and honestly, Bickslow didn't blame her for crying when they'd come near her with it because it honestly looked disgusting.

With a shrug, he pulled a small knife from the drawer and placed one of the strawberries on a small cutting board and cut off the tiniest piece he could manage, because after all, he didn't want to be blamed for making a baby choke on food. So when he finally gave her the tiny piece of cut up strawberry, he watched as her little mouth worked on it and her tiny face went from looking strangely confused as her brain tried to comprehend what it was she was eating and back to happy when she realised she liked it. Bickslow scoffed. _Trust the kid to like strawberries._ Because really, it made sense.

Ingrid ended up getting the rest of the strawberry in little pieces as Bickslow shook his head, always watching her to make sure she wasn't looking like she was going to choke as he ate his own.

When Lucy got out of the shower and walked back into the living room after getting dressed and ready, Bickslow was lying back on the lounge with Ingrid on his lap as he scrolled through his phone. He looked over his shoulder when he heard her in the kitchen and turned on the couch. "Hey, so, funny story," he began with a slight smirk when she glanced in his direction.

"And what's that?" Lucy asked as she poured the milk into the bowl of cereal.

"She likes strawberries."

"…You gave her strawberries?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow before picking up the bowl and a spoon and walking over to the lounge, making herself comfortable down one end as she brought a knee up with her foot on the cushion.

Bickslow shrugged as he put his feet back on the ground, dropping his phone to the lounge beside him before bouncing Ingrid on his lap slightly. "She was giving me weird looks when I was eating them." When he leant back on the lounge, he lifted her up into the air and brought her down, brushing his nose gently against her own. "But we all like strawberries, don't we?" he said, chuckling when Ingrid started squealing with her own laughter and babbling in her own nonsense language.

Lucy shook her head as she took a spoonful of the cereal. The fact that Ingrid likes strawberries was honestly not that surprising, considering herself and Bickslow who were sort of, technically her parents were fighting over them and using them as leverage – that's just how much they liked them. When it came to Bickslow and Ingrid, however, Lucy was still a little confused. He seemed happy when she laughed at him and although he made it seem like he hated doing anything to do with her, she knew he didn't really, but that still wasn't to say he was totally okay with it all, because neither of them were.

But until they got out of there, they kind of had an obligation to look after the kid, and honestly, it wasn't all that bad.

* * *

The restaurant where the cooking class that Freed had signed them up for was on the ground floor of a building in the next street over. Out the front of the building, the large semi-outdoors dining area was closed off by the large white arches that had small leafy gardens between each column, creating a closed in area. The only one that was open was the centre one.

Being a little before 9 a.m., the restaurant wasn't officially open, but it was open for cooking classes which it apparently did quite often before they opened for general serving in the late afternoon. The large group walked through the centre arch and into the dim semi-outdoors area. Although it was completely covered from the top, the front was open.

They followed Freed through to the indoor dining area through the glass double doors, where they were greeted by a middle-aged man in a chef's uniform, hat and all. There were a few other people in the room, sitting down at the tables near the man and were obviously there for the same class they were.

"Welcome to Magnolia Q!" the man said with a bright smile, reaching out to shake Freed's hand a little over-enthusiastically. "Are you all here for the class this morning?"

Freed nodded. "Yes, we are."

"Wonderful!" he said as he turned to pick up a clipboard and a pen from behind him. "Now, what were the first names?"

And so as he pointed to each one, they all said their own names and after each one, the man would look back down to the clipboard and look down the list a few times before finding the name, ticking it off, and looking back up again. It took a while, and that was partly because when he got to Gray, the man had assumed that it was his last name and kept asking for his first name, to which Gray replied with Gray, each and every time. And then there was the issue where the man had assumed Erza was just a typo on the form and the name was actually Ezra. The scarlet-haired woman had had to be held back and calmed down before they all got kicked out of the restaurant.

Right on nine o'clock, the chef led them through the indoor dining area and through some steel doors at the back of the building and into a large kitchen with multiple benches, ovens, stoves, and aprons. Each bench was set up for two, so for convenience, it was easier to just go with whoever they'd, well… woken up with. So that left Bickslow and Lucy together on one bench. Since Mira had already gotten the cooking thing figured out (none of them really knew how she'd done it so fast when half of them were still trying to figure out how to use the toasters), Laxus had paired with Freed, and Cana had paired with Erza.

As they all finished tying up their aprons, a woman walked in and instead she wore a black chef's uniform. Se clapped her hands together as she looked over the twenty-odd people in the room. "Good morning, everyone! My name is Justine and I'm both the head chef here at Magnolia Q and the teacher of this class!"

Bickslow leaned down to whisper in Lucy's ear, "Is it just me or does she look like a slightly more feminine version of Freed?"

Lucy tilted her head slightly as she looked towards the chef, completely blocking out whatever it was she was saying. She noticed how she was of a slim build with long legs and how her eyes were _almost_ the same shade as Freed's. Not to mention the fact that her hair was tied in a similar fashion, and was even the same light green. The fact that her first name was Freed's last name was honestly just spooky.

With a slight shake of her head she tried to stifle her giggle when she realised Bickslow was right. When Bickslow startled chuckling and he ducked his head with his hands on the counter, she had to bite down on her hand to stop herself from bursting out into laughter. Her shoulders were shaking as he tried to hold it in, and then, when she thought she had it under control and her face was bright red, Bickslow finally cracked and burst out laughing, leaning over as he held his stomach.

Everyone turned to stare at the two – Bickslow was laughing almost uncontrollably (which really wasn't out of the ordinary), but Lucy was finding it near impossible not to laugh now.

Justine glared at them as she folded her arms across her chest and walked slowly over to their bench. "Am I interrupting you two?"

And when she came to stand in front of the bench, Lucy lost it – completely. Close up, she was like the spitting image of Freed, just with slightly darker eyes and red lipstick.

"If you two wouldn't mind stepping outside, if you please," Justine ordered then as she turned and headed back to her own bench at the front of the room. "Feel free to join us again when you are able to act like adults," she added bitterly.

Lucy could only nod as she turned to follow Bickslow out of the room who was still laughing uncontrollably.

"Holy shit, Cosplayer," Bickslow said through his laughter as he steaded himself on a wall, still leaning forward slightly.

"Not my fault," She replied around her own giggles that were slowly becoming controllable – if she looked away, that is. Lucy didn't think it was possible to laugh at anything that ridiculous, not until they'd found themselves in Magnolia 2.0 anyway. Already she'd laughed at more stupid things than she could count and it was only day five.

As she fanned her face with her hands, looking up towards the ceiling as she tried to cool her face down and calm herself down, Bickslow's cackling had turned back into slight chuckles as he picked himself up from the floor slowly (he'd ended up laughing on the floor at one point). A few steady breaths and she was back to being somewhat normal – her face hurt from smiling so much though.

Eventually, they were able to go back into the kitchen and when they walked back in, everyone was already getting started on the first dish. As they got back to the bench, the chef came back over and stared at the two through narrowed eyes. "Now, you haven't missed much, but I would still suggest getting a move on so you don't get too far behind." Justine pointed to the laminated recipe in the top left of the bench. "We're starting with the salad. If you don't eat meat, there's substitutes at the back in the walk-in." And then she turned and walked over to another bench, making sure no one had run into any problems so far.

"Well, I can't really cook. Just thought I'd mention that," Bickslow said with a shrug as he picked up the recipe and handed it to the blonde. "What about you?" Because for the last five days, they hadn't really done much in the way of actual cooking. They didn't even go near the stove until the day before.

She shrugged as she looked over the recipe's instructions. _Pretty simple_ , she thought. "I enjoy cooking, but I'm nowhere near as good as Mira. Anyway, we start with the chicken," she said as she placed the recipe down and looked over all the ingredients that had been set out on their bench. "Ah, there it is!"

"So, what do you want me to do?"

Lucy reached across the bench to pick up the chicken breast that was sitting on a plate before sliding it onto the board in front of her, glancing back at the recipe again. "Um… You can mix up the seasoning, if you'd like," she suggested as he picked up one of the knives in front of her to cut the chicken into small strips.

"Right then," Bickslow mumbled as he looked down at the recipe, and then back at the ingredients in front of him, and then back down to the recipe. _What the fuck are all of these things?_

Lucy glanced up when she saw Bickslow hesitate and a small smirk played on her lips. "You know the herbs have labels on them, right? You just have to measure it out."

"…Oh." And when he looked back to the small containerss full of the dried herbs, he realised that they were in fact labelled, and all of them were the ones he needed to mix together. _Damn it, Bicks._

So as Lucy waited for Bickslow to mix up all of the herbs and spices in the large bowl, she stared down at the two rings on her left hand. It had only just occurred to her that they hadn't taken them off, and she didn't know why. She had no reason to keep them on. With a light shake of her head, she slipped them off her finger and into her pocket.

"Why'd you do that?" Bickslow mumbled as he added the last of the ingredients to the bowl.

She looked up to see the instructor walking past their bench, watching their work as she did so. With a shrug, Lucy slid all of the thinly cut pieces into the bowl, "I don't know," she said, lowering her voice as Justine glared at them once again. "No reason to keep them on…"

"They're just rings…"

"No, they're not. Besides, they'll get dirty."

Bickslow only shrugged "Whatever."

* * *

"You all did a great job on the salads," Justine said, looking over the group. "Well, most of you," she added as she looked towards Bickslow and Lucy and then Natsu and Lisanna, who had both ended up burning the chicken to a crisp. "But now we'll be moving on to mini strawberry tarts!"

And with that, both Lucy and Bickslow took an interest.

"Now, since we only have a little over an hour left and another dish to get through, we will be using ready-made pastry. Again, it's a fairly simple recipe so you should be able to manage it, but I'll be checking on your progress as you go." She clapped her hands together with another large smile, she said, "And don't forget to preheat your ovens now!"

They both stared down at the dials on their oven as they tried to figure it out, much like everyone else in the room who wasn't a native of Magnolia 2.0. It was honestly embarrassing. The stove they'd figured out in their own apartment, but not the oven. Bickslow looked around at the people who weren't part of their group and tried to watch what they had done.

Lucy, on the other hand, was trying it out her own way. Hesitantly, she turned the dial until the arrow pointed up with the temperature marking that was listed in the recipe and she jumped back slightly when a red light appeared. _Maybe that means it's heating up?_ With a shrug, she stood back up and looked over the recipe once more.

 ** _Roll out the pastry._**

 _Yeah, that's easy,_ she thought as she grabbed the rolling pin and handed it to Bickslow, only after she poked him with it to get his attention. "You can roll it out," she said as he looked down to the rolling pin, the pastry, and then to Lucy.

"Yes, ma'am."

So as Bickslow got to rolling out the pastry after pushing his sleeves up to his elbows, Lucy turned to lean against the bench. There wasn't anything to do until the cases were in the oven so she had a few minutes.

"So," Bickslow said, glancing up slightly. "Did you wanna stop by the grocery store on the way back after and get stuff for later? And more strawberries."

Lucy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. There's not much else left in the apartment anyway." At that point, they'd only gone to the grocery store once and that was the day before, and the entire group had gone because Freed had dragged them to it after they'd walked past it. Turns out, the currency was completely different and so by extension, the prices of things confused them a bit. If that hadn't confused Bickslow, then it was the fact that himself and Lucy had cards that they could use to pay for things, each were the exact same apart from the name, of course. When Bickslow had used it the day before just to see how it worked, he'd had a minor panic attack when the machine had asked him for a pin, but for whatever reason, when he stared at the keypad, the numbers _1506_ were floating around his head, and as it turns out, that was the pin. He still hadn't had a chance to find out what that number meant, but he was going to. He'd make sure of it.

Oh, and then there was the Magnolia Banking app on each and every one of their phones since they all apparently had accounts with them. So between the fact that the currency and price of things was different, neither of them could really tell if they had a lot of money or if they didn't at all because if it was Jewels, then it wouldn't be much. Honestly, money was confusing.

So when they finally got the cases in the tray and in the oven, it was time to work on the filling, which was really just putting a few things into a bowl and mixing them together. Even Bickslow thought it was easy, and he sucked at anything to do with cooking. After all, he'd managed to completely burn chicken in a matter of minutes.

Once everyone was done with the strawberry tarts, they'd moved onto the mini pizzas and both Bickslow and Lucy had been glad that they'd been separate because there was no way they could have agreed on the ingredients. Everything Bickslow liked on pizza, Lucy hated, and vice versa. Soon after that, the class had ended and honestly, the chef seemed all too glad that it was over, especially by the way she glared at Bickslow and Lucy while gesturing to the door – with a smile, nonetheless.

* * *

When they'd all finally made it out of the building and back out on the street in front of the building, everyone turned to face Bickslow and Lucy who had come out last.

"Alright, what had you two in hysterics?" Laxus asked as he glared at the two.

Bickslow chuckled as he looked down to Lucy who was with her own small smirk. "The chef was totally a chick version of Freed."

"Excuse me?" Freed asked, staring wide-eyed at his friend.

"I knew something was familiar about her!" Evergreen shouted as Freed went a deep shade of red and everyone started laughing at the poor man.

Bickslow moved to put his arm around Freed's shoulder as they slowly walked. "Ah, cheer up, dude," he said with a wide grin. "You have better hair than she does."

So they walked mostly in silence until they got back to the road where the apartment building was. Most were too busy looking up at their surroundings to talk much since everyone was still trying to get their head around the new world. But when everyone else rounded the corner for their street, Lucy and Bickslow stopped. "Yo, Laxus," Bickslow called, causing the blond man to turn around and raise an eyebrow. "Tell Mira we'll get Ingrid when we're back in a bit. I'm sure she'll be fine with her for another thirty minutes."

"Whatever, man," Laxus mumbled with a wave of his hand as he turned around again."Just don't leave the kid with her for too long." _Because god knows the demon will get attached_.

The small grocery store was only a few more minutes down the street and it was close enough that they weren't going to get lost on their way back.

"So, any thoughts on lunch or dinner yet?" Lucy asked as she picked up a basket from the front of the store, swinging it over her forearm as she walked through the small gates.

"Dunno." Bickslow shrugged, instantly pushing past the blonde and over to the fruits and vegetable section which was right at the front. "Kinda sick of cereal though, not gonna lie."

"Yeah… Me too…" Lucy agreed as she followed him into the store, shaking her head she realised he'd gone straight for where the strawberries were. "Get two," she said, and then when he gave her a questioning look, she added, "So we don't argue over who gets to eat them."

"That… is a brilliant idea." _Damn it, why didn't I think of that?_

And not too long after, they walked out of the store with a bag each and headed back to their apartment. For whatever reason, they'd decided on trying the chicken salad again for dinner (considering it did look pretty good… before Bickslow had burned it to a crisp), and Bickslow made it quite clear he was not going to be the one cooking it, and Lucy was definitely glad for that.

They still hadn't decided on the lunch issue though, but they did decide they'd just think of something when they got back to the apartment and got Ingrid down for another nap, because it was noon, and if she wasn't already driving Mira insane, then she was asleep. Honestly, they didn't know what she'd be doing.

As Lucy pushed the door to their apartment open, balancing the bag in one arm, Bickslow just had to make it worse and hand the bag he'd been carrying to her, leaving her to shuffle awkwardly to try and stop the other bag she'd been holding from falling to the ground.

"I'm gonna go get Ingrid," he said before turning and disappearing down the hall and towards the elevator, leaving Lucy to scowl at him before pushing the door open the rest of the way with her back and dumping the bags on the counter.

* * *

When Bickslow hopped out of the elevator as the doors opened, he was greeted by the sight of Laxus standing in the small lobby outside their apartment with a scowl on his face and his arms folded. Typical Laxus, really. Bickslow went to speak, only to receive the universal signal for silence from Laxus, so instead, he just raised an eyebrow and followed him into the apartment.

What he didn't expect to see was Mira curled up on the large lounge with her feet tucked under her and Ingrid asleep in her arms. Bickslow almost felt bad for having to move Ingrid, just because she looked so peaceful and he was also grateful when she wasn't crying or screaming.

He grimaced when he slowly walked over to where Mira sat, bending down slightly as the woman tried her best not to disturb the sleeping infant in her arms while passing her to Bickslow.

 _Please don't wake up, please don't wake up, please don't wake up_ , Bickslow thought as Mira slowly placed her into his own arms. He stood up slowly when he pulled Ingrid in to cradle her, only shifting slightly when Mira placed the bag with all of Ingrid's things over his shoulder.

Slowly and carefully, he walked back out to the small foyer, making sure not to disturb her. "Thank you," he whispered to Mira who replied with her usual bright smile, and Laxus with an eye roll before walking away.

As he waited for the elevator to stop on his floor, he stared down at Ingrid and a smile lit up his face whether he'd wanted to or not. Even though neither of them had really come to terms with the fact that in that world, they were parents, when he looked down at Ingrid, he couldn't help but actually feel like one. An actual father – sure, a pretty bad one at that, but still. She was relying on them to look after her because she had no other choice. To her, himself and Lucy were the centre of her very small world and she only existed because of them – well, a version of them, anyway.

Bickslow couldn't help but feel connected to her, and he knew that was because she was technically his own kid. It was only day five and he'd already changed how he saw things. Them being in Magnolia 2.0 wasn't exactly a nightmare, Ingrid existing wasn't terrible, and him being married to Lucy honestly could have been worse.

The point was that Bickslow had already gotten attached to Ingrid, and so had Lucy. All it had taken was a matter of days.

So when the elevator finally did stop, he only just made it out in time before the door closed and kept going down. Another quick glance down to Ingrid and he was honestly relieved to see she was still asleep, so slowly and carefully he walked down the hall. Upon reaching the door to the apartment, he gently adjusted his hold on Ingrid, all while managing to keep the bag from falling off his shoulder, and twisted the handle, pushing it open slowly.

"So, I—" Lucy began when the door opened, only to look up and see Bickslow gently closing the door behind him with his back as he held a finger up to his lips. And honestly, Lucy wasn't going to mess with that, especially not if Ingrid was asleep. She hated the crying as much as Bickslow did. So instead, she went back to putting the groceries away quietly and Bickslow went down the hall after dropping the bag to the floor gently.

And gently, oh so gently, did he lower her into the crib, all whilst grimacing just because if she were to wake up and start screaming, it _would_ be then, after he'd tried so hard not to wake her up.

But when he quietly crept out of her room, closing the door behind him, he thought he'd done it. _Mission succ—_

And then the unmistakeable sound of her whimper was heard through the door and Bickslow could only drop his head in defeat.

"Almost," Lucy said from the kitchen with a small smirk that made Bickslow shake his head before turning and going back into the nursery. He'd been so close.


	12. Chapter 12

Bickslow sighed as he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows on his dark red shirt, looking in the reflection as he did so. "Are you sure we have to go?" he mumbled, looking towards the blonde in the reflection who was sitting on the bed behind him and doing the buckles up on her heels around her ankles.

"Yes, I am," Lucy said, standing up and smoothing over the fabric of the black jeans she had on. "We can't not turn up now, especially since she asked me earlier if we were going."

"You could have just said we weren't able to make it."

"Yeah, well… I couldn't think of a reason not to go," she mumbled. "Besides, she's apparently known us since we got married and moved here and she seems like she knows us well, so it would seem a little weird to turn down a dinner invitation."

Bickslow raised an eyebrow as she scurried out of the room, not before noticing how her face went a bright red before she did so and it was presumably at the use of ' _us'_ rather than _'the other us.'_ But really, Bickslow couldn't blame her for doing so. It was all too confusing to be referring to different versions of themselves and in the nearly two weeks they'd been in that world and that life, he'd mostly resigned to the fact that they were stuck there.

Besides, it wasn't all that bad being there. It had been strangely entertaining learning about everything – though he did have to admit that some of the things that Freed signed everyone up for had been a little annoying, especially the day they'd all gone for driving lessons, and honestly, that just ended in disaster. Partly because they'd had to try and explain to the driving instructors why grown adults with their licenses would need to go for lessons, and partly because the cars of that world were incredibly different to the ones they were used to. Natsu ended up crashing into a wall and so did Erza, so those two had to pay for the damages, and really, it wasn't all that surprising. At least it wasn't their own cars they wrecked.

But really, it had been fun. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting more and more attached to Ingrid every day, but in his defence, it really was hard not to.

Pushing himself up from the bed once he'd put on his own shoes, ditching the converse for one night, sadly, he turned to the small dresser on the other side of the room – the one with all of the lingerie that made Bickslow's imagination go wild – and picked up the two rings that were sitting on top of it, right next to the jewellery box that sat on top of it.

For the last two weeks they'd been playing the part of a loving couple, but for the most part, Lucy didn't wear the rings. But if what Lucy said was true about their neighbours being friends with them, then they'd probably notice something like that and it would probably just make them ask a whole bunch of uncomfortable questions along the lines of, _'why aren't you wearing your rings anymore?'_ and _'is something going on with the two of you? Are you two okay?'_ And even though he'd love to sit there and watch Lucy try and answer those questions (because Bickslow just didn't see the point of taking his own wedding band off, just because it was a ring and who really cared?), he knew it wouldn't end well.

While they were there, they had to at least try and act like their counterparts, and that meant playing the loving couple.

"Give me your hand," Bickslow mumbled, walking into the nursery as Lucy lifted Ingrid out of her crib and held her on her hip. "Your other hand, moron," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Huh? Why?" she asked, shifting Ingrid to her other hip as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you don't have these on," he began as he slipped the first ring onto her finger slowly, vaguely aware of how awkward he'd just made things. But hell, they'd had a surprising amount of awkward moments in the last two weeks. "They'll probably ask questions, right?" he finished, slipping the other ring on.

Lucy lifted her gaze slowly and she felt like her face was on fire. Bickslow was looking directly at her; the red eyes that were the same shade as Ingrid's – no, Ingrid's eyes were the same as _his –_ looking straight into her chocolate eyes. And hell, did she feel like he really was staring directly into her soul. Even without his magic, that's what it felt like. It was the goddamn eyes.

She was almost frozen in place, unable to look away or pull her hand away from where it still rested in Bickslow's hands, and she didn't know why she couldn't move or why her heart was beating just a tiny bit faster in her chest.

There was… a feeling. A feeling she didn't understand, and she wanted to understand it. It was the same feeling that she'd had since the first day of being there. She couldn't really describe it. It was like a warmth… a feeling of belonging, almost. A feeling of safety.

But there was something else behind it and she didn't know what it was.

Bickslow really didn't know what was going on or why he couldn't move either, but there was a part of him that didn't want to. Every detail on her face, every speck and fleck in her eyes; he noticed it all in that moment. Every single thing he hadn't been close enough to notice; until then.

His gaze lowered from her eyes, down her face and to her lips; _her oh so kissable lips_. Bickslow had to mentally curse himself at that moment because honestly, he had no idea where any of it was coming from. Sure, he'd noticed her in the years he'd known her, but… never really like that. Sort of. Wanting to sleep with someone who you know would never go for it was different… somehow.

But really, none of it explained why he really wanted to just lean down and kiss her; to touch her, taste her. _I wonder if her lips taste like strawberries?_

He was suddenly aware that he'd been leaning down ever so slowly the entire time, but he couldn't stop himself. He knew he should, because really, there was something seriously wrong going on there. And even though Lucy knew what he was doing, she couldn't stop him either, even though there was a very big part of her that wanted to just run out of the room, she still couldn't move.

But then Ingrid, who honestly became an absolute angel and saviour in that very moment, decided to make a noise – a noise that seriously could not be described because both Bickslow and Lucy had yet to read enough of the baby development books in their apartment to understand the weird sounds babies make – and effectively make her parents remember how to move and realise they had places to be, and things _not_ to do.

Bickslow cleared his throat suddenly as he glanced towards Ingrid and then back towards Lucy, dropping his hands and letting go of hers and turning in one swift movement, rushing back out into the hall when he felt his own cheeks heat up slightly and leaving Lucy in the nursery with Ingrid.

Her thoughts were racing around, trying to piece together what had happened as she looked between the door and Ingrid.

 _Shit, was he about to kiss me?_ And her eyes went wide when she realised she'd been about to actually let him.

* * *

"Ingrid, you are seriously the greatest tiny human ever," Bickslow mumbled as he lowered her into the crib slowly before creeping out of the room. He really didn't want her to wake up and start crying as soon as he'd left the room, so as soon as he'd closed the door behind him, he waited for a minute, and only when he was certain she would stay asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief and trudged his way down the hall.

But seriously, if it wasn't for Ingrid falling asleep (it was a miracle she didn't get cranky, really), they'd still be over at Claire's apartment having dinner with her husband and two of their friends. There was only so much socialising Bickslow could put up with when he really had no idea what they were talking about, and himself and Lucy were getting fed up with having to dodge questions about their relationship that frankly didn't exist. Well, for them, anyway.

Walking back out into the lounge room with the only light on being the small lamp just next to the door, he seated himself in the corner of the sofa and put his feet up on the cushions on the shorter side since Lucy had decided to make herself comfortable lying back on what was essentially his bed.

But he didn't mind all that much, not when he had a pretty nice view down her top since she had propped her back and neck up on the two small cushions just next to where he sat. You know, if he actually chose to look, which he wasn't because she'd totally know. He may have been a perv by nature – and honestly, Lucy was hot as fuck, to Bickslow anyway – but he knew his limits and he knew what she'd put up with. Looking down her top was one that would probably end with him getting kicked out the windows, should she catch him.

"I didn't know you could play piano," Lucy said quietly, tipping her head back slightly into the pillows to look up at Bickslow.

He shrugged, sliding down slightly and bringing his knees up. "Plenty of things you don't know about me."

"I gathered that," she laughed. "But you're really good. The piece was beautiful," she whispered. And really, it had been a beautiful piece. When Claire's husband had asked Bickslow to play something after they'd all finished eating and had moved over to the living room, she'd been amazed that he'd actually obliged without a single complaint. When his fingers touched the ivory keys and she watched as his long fingers expertly shifted with each chord, she'd only been able to sit there awestruck. Of all things, she never expected Bickslow to be a musician.

There really were plenty of things she didn't know about him, but she was learning them. Slowly.

The corner of Bickslow's mouth lifted up into a small smile. Lucy had been the only one to ever hear that particular piece and for whatever reason, it felt good to know that she liked it. "Thanks," se said quietly, staring at the T.V. screen as Lucy flicked through the channels.

When he felt his eyes get heavy after a while of watching some godawful movie (or something like that. They still weren't too sure of the correct names for things), he reached for his phone in his pocket and sighed when he saw it was only a little past ten o'clock. Then again, they'd been up since 4 a.m. with Ingrid so really, going to bed that early wasn't the end of the world. So, pushing himself up from the lounge, he headed down to the bedroom to change, coming back out a few minutes later in just the dark grey pyjama pants that hung low on his hips.

"Get up," he said, taking the pillows from under Lucy's head as he leant over the back of the lounge. "You're on my bed, Cosplayer."

"But it's still early," she whined, covering her mouth with one hand as she yawned before sitting up slightly and leaning back on her hands.

Bickslow shook his head as he chuckled quietly. "Just go to bed. I know you're tired."

"But I'm comfortable here."

"If you don't move I'm just going to lay on top of you." _Why the fuck did I say that?! Jesus fucking Christ._ "Just go to bed already."

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at Bickslow who was quite obviously regretting his words, and honestly, she was a little confused by them. She got up, nonetheless, and after switching off the only light that was still on, she made her way down the hall and to her bedroom after checking in on Ingrid who was still sleeping peacefully.

But when she stared up at the dark ceiling in bed a little while later, just being able to make out the sounds of the city that apparently never sleeps below them that they were still acclimatising to, she wanted to curse herself for even considering what was running through her head. Every morning when Bickslow got up, she saw him try and stretch out his back and each time she saw it, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Sure, he'd offered to sleep on the lounge, but she couldn't help but think if it was really necessary for him to sleep on the lounge.

Of course, there was the whole ' _weird'_ issue to get over, but they'd slept in the same bed when they'd first found themselves in the whole situation and nothing had happened – no awkward cuddling and tangling up, that she was aware of, anyway. The bed was big enough for them to sleep on opposite sides and actually get a good night's sleep for once, because it was quite obvious Bickslow wasn't. Not on the lounge, at least.

Surely it wouldn't be that bad. After all, she'd woken up with Natsu curled around her more times than she could count and she wasn't nearly as freaked out by that as she once had been. Sure, the guy still got kicked out of the bed every time she'd woken up like that, but that was more for him breaking in than anything. On the off chance she woke up with _Bickslow_ curled around her – or heaven forbid her curled up against him – then she really might just kick him out a window.

 _No, no. Can't do that_ , she reminded herself. She needed the guy to help her take care of Ingrid.

With a final sigh, she switched on the lamp on the nightstand beside her, bathing the room in a dim light before throwing the cover back and padding back out to the dark living room. Not giving herself a chance to back out of it, she reached over the back of the lounge and ripped the blanket from over him, and when he sat up in confusion and trying to figure out what was going on, she took the opportunity to snatch the pillows from behind him before turning around and heading back for the bedroom without a single word.

It took Bickslow a second to wrap his head around what was going on, but when he did, he scrambled up from the lounge and jumped over the back of it and ran down the dark hall, only stopping in the door frame of the bedroom to let his eyes adjust slightly.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked tiredly, rubbing his face with his hand as he watched Lucy throw the pillows on the bed.

Climbing back into her own side of the bed, she shrugged slightly, keeping her head down because she knew she was blushing. After all, it wasn't every day she invited someone like Bickslow to bed, even if it really was just to sleep. "You sleeping on the lounge every night makes me feel guilty, and I know you're not sleeping very much—"

"It's fine."

"No, it's not," she said firmly, looking up slightly as she pulled the covers up and sat with her legs crossed under them. "I know it hurts you, so… you can sleep in the bed. Assuming you keep your hands to yourself and you stay on your side."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "…Seriously?" he asked, not even really having the energy to make any jokes, even though he knew it was a time he shouldn't be making any anyway.

"You're free to go back to the lounge if you really want to," she murmured before sliding down and switching off the only lamp, leaving the room in darkness again. "But either way, I'm going to sleep, so you decide. I'm not going to force you to do anything if it makes you uncomfortable, so good night, Bickslow." And rolling onto her side, she pulled the covers up to her ears and closed her eyes and waited for what Bickslow's decision would be.

So when she heard the quiet footsteps and felt the mattress dip slightly, she smiled slightly, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

Bickslow could only ponder her words – _make **me** uncomfortable?_ Hell, being in the same bed with her wasn't about him being uncomfortable, it was about _her_ being uncomfortable. But maybe, if she'd even offered it in the first place, then it meant that she wasn't uncomfortable about it.

 _Oh, what the fuck_ , Bickslow thought, closing his eyes. _Who fucking cares anymore?_ Because really, the lounge was absolutely awful to sleep on and it really did hurt. Beds, on the other hand… well, they were warm, and they were even warmer when there was someone in them next to you, but he wasn't going to focus on that fact.

* * *

When February ended and Monday came around, it meant back to work for Bickslow, whatever that was. Laxus had had a call from Magnolia 2.0's Makarov asking why his company's two CEOs and senior executives (that really, turns out it was a made up title just for the Raijinshuu) had not shown up for two weeks. Luckily Laxus had been able to convince his grandfather that they'd all come down with a bad case of the flu and they'd all been in bed for the last two weeks.

So of course come Sunday, Freed had done research into the so called company they were all supposed to be working for, so when they walked in Monday morning they were actually walking into the right building.

So with a groan, Bickslow rolled out of bed, running his hands through his hair and down over his face as he sat up. Bickslow hated mornings, he really did. But in the two weeks they'd been in that world, he hadn't had a single sleep-in. He could only be thankful that Ingrid wasn't waking up in the middle of the night _every_ night, or waking up at some hour that made it impossible for Bickslow and Lucy to go back to sleep.

But each day they were getting more and more comfortable with the routine they had formed, and they were slowly learning how to be the parents they were supposed to be and needed to be. They were getting used to the world they lived in.

"Morning, Bickslow," Lucy said cheerfully, looking up slightly before returning her focus to Ingrid as she got another small spoonful of the pureed fruit.

"How are always so chipper in the mornings?" he mumbled around a loud yawn.

She shrugged slightly, never losing her wide grin as she continued feeding Ingrid. She'd learned that the more she smiled, the easier Ingrid was to deal with, and it wasn't like she had to force her smiles by that point anyway. "I'm just a morning person."

"Obviously."

"There's coffee ready if you want it," Lucy said as she turned her head over her shoulder to face the kitchen. "And there's pancake batter in the fridge, if you think you can manage not setting the smoke alarm off this time."

"Well if Ingrid wasn't being impossible then I wouldn't have been distracted and forgotten about the stove," he grumbled with a slight shake of his head, turning one of the dials on the stove and letting it heat up as he placed the frying pan on it. Then, turning his own head over his shoulder, he asked, "Doing anything today?"

"Levy wants me to go to a birthing class she's apparently been signed up for with her since Gajeel is refusing to go."

"When's she supposed to be due again?"

With a quiet sigh, Lucy stood up and after another smile at the cooing baby in the high-chair, she lifted the bib from where it was around her neck and wiped down her face. "Nice and clean now!" she said, using what Bickslow had deemed as her _'baby voice.'_ Though it wasn't like he didn't have his own version of one either, because he did, and it was ridiculous because he didn't know when he'd started using it. "But I think she said at the end of the month."

"I bet Gajeel is freaking out," Bickslow mused, folding his arms across his chest as he turned to lean back against the counter. "I know I would be."

"I think anyone would be freaking out if they were having twins with someone and only had a little over a month to prepare, rather than nine. It probably doesn't help the entire situation that they're not actually together, either."

He raised an eyebrow as he watched the blonde with curiosity, watching as she turned to lean back against the counter in front of the sink, her hands on either side of her. "Fair points," he finally said, turning back around and flipping the pancake over because really, he didn't want to burn it. "But if you say it that way, then I think they have it easy."

"How so?"

"Well, assuming that we _are_ still here by the time she has to give birth – which we probably will be – then at least Gajeel and Levy had the last month and a half to prepare for it, you know?" he said with a quick glance over his shoulder. "It's not like we got that opportunity. To learn about anything, I mean. We just got thrown into this mess and it was like, 'here's your daughter, have fun learning how to take care of her!' and we're still learning how to do that."

"That's the first time you've actually acknowledged her as being your daughter," Lucy giggled.

 _Shit. Why the hell did I say that?_ "W-Well, I mean… She basically is. You know as well as I do that if this entire situation was a temporary thing, then we'd probably be back home by now."

"I know that…"

Adding more batter to the pan and after another quick glance over his shoulder, he continued with a mumble, "Yeah, well, it's kind of hard not to see her as my own kid, you know? Sure, I'm quite possibly the worst parent to ever exist, but I still _feel_ like a dad…" He could feel the warmth grow on his cheeks, though he was telling himself that it was from the stove not his embarrassment. "You can't say you don't feel at least a little attached to her, because I've seen you. I know you are."

And Lucy knew that Bickslow was right – she really was attached to Ingrid, just because she did feel like an actual parent. Ingrid was her daughter and she was a mother. Lucy knew she shouldn't have gotten so attached in such a short amount of time, but as Bickslow had said, it really was hard to see Ingrid as anything other than their own child, especially when for the last two weeks, they'd spent almost every single minute with her.

But there was a feeling; different from the one she got whenever she got too close to Bickslow, but… similar. When Ingrid cried, it hurt. She hated it, especially when she didn't know why she was crying, and thankfully, that had only been twice. Each time, both Bickslow and Lucy had been up, trying everything they had at their disposal just to get Ingrid to stop crying.

Lucy had always wanted kids. Not any time soon, but one day, when she found the right person.

But that didn't matter, because it really did feel like they were stuck there – that was their new home, and with that, she got a beautiful baby that was really hers; _theirs_. Sure, when they'd first found themselves in that situation, she hadn't wanted any of it. More than anything, she'd just wanted to be back in her own world; back at the guild. But it hadn't taken very long for that to change. It wasn't to say that she didn't miss her own world dearly, because she really did. It was just that she didn't miss it at much, and that was because of Ingrid.

Already, Ingrid's existence had brought more joy to Lucy's life than she ever could have expected. It was almost as if Ingrid made her life fulfilled… but Lucy still felt like there was something missing. Something significant, but she didn't quite know what it was.

But that didn't matter either.

So finally, after realising she'd been standing there in silence, she spoke. "You're right," she said, a small smile on her lips as Bickslow looked over his shoulder again. "I am attached to Ingrid and I do actually feel like her mother, because I am. But I feel like it goes deeper than that, too. That it's more confusing than just _feeling_ and _thinking_."

"What do you mean?"

"I… Well," she began nervously. "I think it has something to do with the fact that we… _became_ this world's version of ourselves. I mean, I think that those feelings of attachment were already there, _in_ us, and it was just a matter of realising they were there… if that makes sense." She could feel her cheeks heat up as she pushed herself away from the counter, away from Bickslow's gaze. "I don't know, I just… I don't know. It made sense in my head. Anyway… I'm going to go have a shower. Watch Ingrid, will you?"

And just like that, it was like something clicked in Bickslow's head and everything made sense. Every feeling he couldn't describe, every moment where he truly did feel like Ingrid was his daughter, and hell, when he wanted to kiss Lucy because there was something inside of him that yearned to do so.

None of those feelings were really _his_. They were his… body's? No, his heart's, almost.

Honestly, it was way too confusing to even consider thinking about the possibility of his stupid heart getting involved in things, and thankfully – almost luckily – he was pulled from his thoughts by the smell of burning pancakes.

* * *

Embarrassingly, it took Bickslow way too long to find his office, but it took Freed and Evergreen just as long since their offices were just next to his.

Not much was known about the company he supposedly worked for other than the fact that it was called Fairy Tale Industries – and yes, it was _tale_ and not _tail_ , because they'd all checked it, three times. Of course, the least surprising thing they did find out was that Makarov was the chairman, but of course, he was mostly vacant – off travelling the world, apparently, so that left Laxus and Erza in charge given that they were both CEOs, much to Laxus' dismay. Bickslow and the other two members of the Raijinshuu seemed to work under Laxus, and Natsu and Gray seemed to work under Erza, though they weren't given the same titles as the Raijinshuu so that was highly amusing.

Bickslow stared out the windows separating his office from the main room of the 18th floor of the Fairy Tale Industries building. Dozens of desks, all of them in their own little cubicles, sat just outside his office door and each one was occupied by someone who knew what they were supposed to be doing. Bickslow, well… He really had no idea what to do.

Swinging around on his chair slightly, he put his feet up on the desk, turning his back towards the office bullpen to stare out into the city around him. It was the same kind of view as the one from the apartment, just different buildings since it was on the other side of town. Despite there being so much to look at, there really wasn't that much to actually see, so instead, he found himself looking around his office once again.

The room was dark and modern – panelled wooden walls with all of the furniture being black leather, glass, and modern. Behind him sat a bookcase filled with various books and binders, files and boxes and small trinkets. On his desk, a laptop on one corner and a lamp on the other. Two armchairs sat on the other side of the desk, and then behind them, a glass coffee table with a few magazines and stray papers, and another leather lounge against the wall, and a plant in the corner just next to the door.

Quickly, he got up from the chair and let it roll back until it hit the bookcase as he walked over to the door, pulling the cord on the blinds that was just next to it and letting them fall down, blocking the view into his office from those in the main room. It was unnerving having them all see him, watch him, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't have minded it, but it was the first time he'd really been on his own since he'd found himself in that world. Sure, Evergreen was in the office just next to his, and Freed next to her, but he was still alone. Everywhere he'd gone in the past two weeks, he'd been with either Lucy or Ingrid, if not both. Hell, he'd been with his team and his friends the entire time too, but being in that office then… It was different. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing there.

Just as he'd sat back down in his chair and put his feet back on the desk, his office door opened and he looked up. A tall woman with black hair in a ponytail walked in, a coffee in hand and a folder tucked under her arms as she strolled over to the desk with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Theroux," the woman said. "Here's your coffee and your itinerary for the day." She placed the mug down on a coaster just in front of him and was then opening up the folder and laying it out in front of him.

"Right…" Bickslow mumbled. _Who the fuck is she?!_

Her arm brushed against his as she leant over the desk from behind him, arranging the pages on the desk and pointing to a different document. "Mr. Dreyar needs you to sign this one," she said, and when Bickslow looked up, he noticed that her bright smile had been replaced by a sly smirk. "And Miss Scarlet needs your thoughts on this one," she murmured.

 _Holy. Fucking. Shit,_ Bickslow thought.

Another brush against her arm and the woman stood up and walked back around the desk, "If you need _anything_ else, I'll be at my desk," she said slowly, making sure to catch Bickslow's eyes before she slowly walked back to the door.

Bickslow could only watch the sway of her hips as she walked, already imagining what she'd look like bent over his very desk. It had become very clear to Bickslow in such a short amount of time that that's exactly what she wanted; he'd seen it and done it enough to know when someone was coming on to him. Sure, it was discreet, but he knew it.

But when he put his feet up once again, having shifted when she'd walked in, he let his mind wander, instantly going back to imagining what the black-haired woman would look like on his desk – her clothes scattered around his office and her long legs wrapped around his waist… Oh, Bickslow would enjoy that. Immensely.

He realised that if he really was stuck in that life and in that world, then he was going to need to have some fun. Maybe, just maybe, that woman would be fun.

But his gaze flicked over to the photo frame that sat just next to the lamp at what was possibly the worst moment, effectively stopping his imagination right in its tracks and completely ruining any plans for the time being. Because goddammit, the picture of himself, Lucy, and Ingrid just had to remind him that in that world, he probably shouldn't be thinking about fucking someone who obviously works for him.

But… He was Bickslow. His heart may be totally confused because of the entire situation, but his heart could stay out of it, or so he hoped.


	13. Chapter 13

Lucy winced, a barely audible breath escaping as she climbed into the bed, one hand on the side of her stomach as the other pushed the heavy blankets back. She didn't really know what it was, but over the last few days, her back had been hurting a little bit, she'd had some of the most annoying, aching cramps, and she'd never actually known her boobs could hurt until then. Thankfully, bigger bras had helped a little bit – though why she had multiple sizes was a mystery to her, but she was thankful for it because it made it just a little bit more comfortable.

But of course, she'd put it all down to her favourite monthly visitor that she assumed would be making its presence known shortly. After all, they had been there for just shy of exactly a month.

Bickslow lifted his head slightly, looking up from the papers and documents he had in his lap. "You okay?" he mumbled around the highlighter pen in his mouth, seeing the discomfort on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a small smile, sliding down the bed and making herself comfortable on her side. "What are you reading?"

He looked back down to the pages in the binder, instantly making his headache worse when he tried to focus on the words. "Some stupid company policy that Freed is making me read. He says I need to do something with my time instead of sitting in my office all day and playing on my phone, so I need to actually be productive and do what I get paid to do, whatever the fuck that is," he said. "Apparently these are supposed to help but I don't see how they are."

Reaching out, she lifted up the front cover of the binder to see which policy it was, raising an eyebrow when she saw the title. " _Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace_?" she read, the corner of her mouth lifting up into a small smirk as she dropped the cover and tucked her arm back under the blanket. "Already hitting on your staff, huh?"

"No," he scoffed. "I'm not hitting on anyone, thank you very much _._ My secretary is the one who needs to be reading this shit."

"Oh?"

"She flirts with me whenever she comes into my office. It's actually getting kind of annoying." He said, furrowing his brow when he realised just what he'd said and who he'd said it to. Here he was, basically telling his _wife_ about the secretary that was hitting on him even though he was married. Technically.

But really, after only a week of the constant accidental brushing up against him, the seductive smiles and the barely audible whispers that made no sense, he really had started to find it annoying. She was almost desperate, and under normal circumstances, Bickslow honestly wouldn't have cared. Sure, on the first day he'd spent a fair majority of it wondering just what she'd look like bent over the desk he was supposed to be doing work at, but by the third day, he just didn't care. He wasn't interested in playing out what was really just a fantasy to him – just like sleeping with Lucy was a fantasy – and that was something he'd never had happen to him.

That wasn't to say he wouldn't go along with it either, because he'd also started to find it entertaining. Bickslow wanted to see just how long she'd keep it up until she gave up and did what she was paid to do, because even he knew that flirting with her boss was not one of those things.

Plain and simple, he just wasn't interested in her, and the worst part was that ever since Lucy had brought up the fact that they had become their counterparts, he found himself wanting to spend more and more time with her and Ingrid. It was weird.

"Well, maybe the other you was sleeping with his secretary all along?" she mused, the amusement evident that time even though when she thought about it – thought about the possibility of the other Bickslow cheating on the other Lucy – she felt a sharp pain in her chest; a pang of jealousy. Betrayal, even.

But she had to quell those feelings, because they were irrelevant to _her_. They weren't even hers to begin with.

Bickslow looked up, dropping the highlighter pen once again. "Doubt it," he scoffed.

"How come?" Lucy asked.

"Because _anyone_ would be a fucking moron to cheat on you." _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why the hell do I keep saying things like that?! I can fix this… Play it down…_

Lucy's eyes widened slightly and when she felt the distinct heat on her face from her blush, she pulled the covers up more and ducked her head slightly, leaving just her eyes and above visible, and of course, she was staring back up at Bickslow who was quite obviously regretting his words – again. He'd been doing that a lot and Lucy couldn't help but find it entertaining.

"I just mean…" Clearing his throat as he looked back down to the pages in his lap, he said, "I just mean that the _other_ me would be a total idiot to cheat on you, 'cause I mean, he got the hot as hell wife and kid, and I don't know about you, but every photo I've seen, he seems pretty happy with that to me." _Oh god… That is not playing it down. Fucking hell, what am I even saying anymore? That is not what I was supposed to say._

" _'Hot as hell'_ , huh?"

"Shut up," he grumbled, looking towards her from the corner of his eye. He'd basically dug himself a hole that he was not getting out of any time soon. But… Bickslow realised he couldn't really make it any worse, so why not have some fun with it? "Besides, Veronica doesn't even hold a candle to you."

Lucy honestly just wanted to pull the blanket over her head and curl into a ball of embarrassment. It was probably the first time Bickslow had ever actually complimented her – sort of. Lucy had always been confident with her body and so there had been times where she'd tried using it – her sex appeal, that is – to her advantage. Although, more often than not it had failed and she'd found herself in a slightly depressed state occasionally and letting her mind trick her into thinking no one will ever find her attractive (even though she really knew she was). But Bickslow had just sat there and straight out said she was attractive, and honestly, she didn't know how to feel about that because it was Bickslow after all. The guy was known for being the guild's resident pervert and he really did live up to that reputation he had, but in the time they'd been living together in that world, Lucy realised that it was almost as if he'd toned it down. Whenever he'd say something even close to being out of line or flattering he'd usually change the subject. That, or he'd just roll with it and keep on going, like he just had.

"Uh… Thanks, I think…?" she mumbled finally, pulling the blanket up even further as Bickslow let out a short and loud laugh, picking up the highlighter pen again as he turned a page in the file. "But… With your secretary," Lucy began then, just pulling the covers back enough so she wasn't mumbling into i., "It's not really like _you_ have anything stopping you… From actually sleeping with her, I mean."

Bickslow raised an eyebrow, slowly turning his head. "Eh?" was all he could manage since he wasn't entirely sure he was hearing the right words coming out of her mouth.

Ignoring the burning heat in her cheeks, Lucy went on, "You say the other you probably wasn't sleeping with her, and fine, whatever… I just mean that there's nothing stopping _you_ from sleeping with her, because to me, it kind of sounds like she's actually flirting with you and has obviously been doing it for quite some time..." With a sigh, she rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, realising she was kind of rambling. "Okay, look. You don't seem like the kind of person to pass up on some very obvious advances and I know it doesn't really have anything to do with me because it's your life and there's no _us_ in this world, so… I don't know… There's nothing stopping you from being _you_ , I guess…" she mumbled and then rolled onto her other side with her back to Bickslow.

Bickslow could only stare at her back as he tried to get his head around what she was trying to say. And sure, he got the message – loud and clear – but to Bickslow, it seemed like Lucy hadn't meant it, and that confused him.

But she was right – there was no _us_ or _them_ or anything in that world. There was no relationship between them. There was nothing actually stopping him from being, well… him, as Lucy had said. There was nothing stopping Bickslow from bending his secretary over his desk and giving the woman exactly what she wanted. Nothing except for the fact that he really wasn't interested in doing so. But Lucy didn't know that.

Maybe she just meant in general? Maybe she was just reminding Bickslow that there was nothing tethering him to her. But that wasn't really the case, was it? Because legally, they were married. Morally, it was wrong for him to cheat on her… But in a way, _he_ wasn't really cheating.

Bickslow really just didn't know what to do or how he was supposed to feel. He just didn't.

So with a slight shrug, he looked back down to the file and mumbled, "Maybe I will…" And it was the truth. Maybe he would and maybe he wouldn't, but what he might or might not do didn't matter, because if anything, it was just him trying to get a reaction from Lucy, not that he really knew why because she was the one who'd said it all in the first place. Why would she even care what he did?

"Alright then," Lucy whispered, finally reaching out to switch off the lamp on the nightstand beside her and make herself comfortable – as best she could anyway, between the dull ache in her lower back and the fact it felt like she'd had a knife stabbed into her heart.

Even though it had been her suggestion, her idea, her _words,_ there was a part of her that wished she hadn't said them, and she knew why. Because in that world in that body, that same heart belonged to Bickslow. That was the key thing she had to remember, though; that it wasn't her body. None of those feelings were truly hers. It seemed almost unfair that she had to deal with the pain from even thinking about someone who was technically her husband having an affair.

But she'd have to get over it. She'd have to at least try and hide how much it hurt because even though it hurt more than she'd expected it to, whether or not Bickslow did actually end up sleeping with his secretary – or anyone, for that matter – had nothing to do with her. It was his life and his alone. Lucy didn't want Bickslow to know just how much it hurt – how much her heart had been affected, because it wasn't fair.

And even though she'd tried to hide it, Bickslow could sense something was wrong, just from those two little words that she'd barely whispered. But there wasn't really anything he could do about it because he didn't know _what_ he could do. Bickslow doubted that he could make it better, because he knew that it was somehow his fault in the first place. His words had done it and he wasn't going to try and make things better because he knew he'd just make things worse.

But when he looked back down at the words on the pages, he wasn't reading them. He wasn't even focusing on them, because all he could focus on was Lucy and what it was he'd said to make her feel and act that way.

When he saw the movement out of the corner of his vision in the dim room, he looked up from the pages, realising he'd been staring at the same page for… well, he really had no idea how long it had been. Turning, he saw Lucy sitting up on the bed, pushing the covers back before grabbing the pillows from behind her and only after he heard the sound of something being place on the nightstand, she got up and headed towards the door, pillows in hand.

"What are you doing…?" he asked quietly.

She tried her best to force a small smile when she stopped by the door with her hand on the edge of it, ready to pull it closed behind her. "I'm tired and you're obviously going to be up for a little while longer so I'm just going to go sleep on the lounge. So goodnight, Bicks," she said quietly and before Bickslow could even form any words, she'd pulled the door closed just as quietly and made her way back out to the lounge.

It wasn't the truth. Not entirely, anyway.

Lucy just didn't want to be in the same room and the same bed, because for the time being, she knew that it was going to hurt too much. It was going to hurt until she learned how to get over it, and she wasn't going to get any closer to doing so if Bickslow was only a couple of feet away from her. She needed to do it on her own.

So when Bickslow finally pulled his gaze from the door, still trying to figure out what was going on, he looked towards the nightstand and saw just what it was she'd placed on it – her rings. The same rings that she hadn't taken off since dinner at Claire's a little over a week earlier.

Just seeing them there made Bickslow realise just what it was he'd done – what he'd said. It had hurt her. Whether it was the thought of someone she was supposed to care about betraying her in a such a way, or him _saying_ he might do something like that, he didn't know, but it had hurt her. Bickslow realised that it wasn't just him who was experiencing the feelings he didn't quite understand. She was too, and for whatever reason, he hadn't even considered the possibility that she was feeling as confused and conflicted about everything just as much as he was, but after all, she'd been the one to bring it all up in the first place and made Bickslow realise that there was a logical reason (sort of) behind everything.

Every feeling he couldn't describe that wasn't really his… She felt the same.

It wasn't just his own heart that was getting involved in things it shouldn't be, but it was hers too, and neither of them could control it.

* * *

Bickslow stared at the time and date in the corner of the computer screen, watching as the minutes ticked by as he impatiently tapped his fingers on the desk with his chin resting in his free hand.

 **Friday 13th March, 9:28 AM.**

Every morning, Veronica would walk in at exactly 9:30 a.m., coffee in hand and a stack of papers he apparently needed to sign or go over, as well as his appointments and meetings for the day. Only two more minutes until she'd walk in, shamelessly flirt with him and he'd usually flirt back, just a little bit because that's the kind of person he was and he had nothing else to do with his time.

 _Just two more minutes._

 **9:29 AM.**

Bickslow groaned as he leant back, letting his chair swing back a bit as his hands ran down his over his face. He'd been staring at the clock for the last twenty minutes, just waiting for it to finally tick over so he could get what was arguably the worst part of his day over. Well, second worst for that _particular_ day.

* * *

 _Lucy's hand went to her mouth as she dropped the spoon on the table, her other going to her stomach. **It'll pass** , she told herself. **It— nope, it's not**. Pushing herself up from the chair and letting the legs slide along the floor as she pushed it back, she ran down the hall, keeping one hand over her mouth as her other slid along the wall before reaching the bathroom door and pulling it open, then slamming it closed just as quickly as it had been opened. _

_It was the second day in a row she'd found herself sitting on the cold tiled floor of her bathroom with her head resting on her arm on the toilet, trying to regain her composure and breath before she emerged again. More than once a day that happened, and honestly, she could only be glad that Bickslow had been at work the day before so he hadn't been around to hear her retching for most of the day._

 _So by the time she was finally able to emerge from the bathroom, Bickslow had already taken her seat at the table and was finishing feeding Ingrid. He looked up when she walked back over to the kitchen, filling up a glass of water when she reached the sink. "You alright?" he asked._

 _"Yeah, fine," she said, forcing a smile before she took a sip, "Probably just something I ate, I guess."_

 _And that had pretty much been the extent of their conversations over the week – since Monday night, anyway. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal and it frustrated her to no end. Lucy didn't want to be feeling that way; she didn't want to be hurt by something she had nothing to do with, but she just couldn't help it. It wasn't really her pain to begin with, but she was the one who had to deal with it and she had to do it alone._

 _But Bickslow being there every morning and every night was making it so hard to do. During the day, she was okay, for the most part, because she could just focus on Ingrid and learning about the world they now called home. She could occupy her thoughts, but then, every evening when he walked back in the door, it all came back. All of the pain that came from just the thought of him even sleeping with someone else._

 _Lucy knew it was stupid, she really did, because she really had no reason to feel any of that or think like she had just a little bit of a claim to Bickslow's life. There was nothing between them – nothing stopping him from being who he was and doing what everyone knew he did. If Bickslow decided he wanted to fuck his secretary, then it had nothing to do with Lucy._

 _She knew that._

 _But it didn't matter how many times she told herself that because it was her goddamn heart that was making everything worse for her and making her feel that way, and there wasn't a single thing she could do about._

 _Glancing up at the clock, she put the glass down and moved over to the highchair, picking Ingrid up and walking over to the small play-mat just in front of the sofa and then placing her down gently. "You should go," she said quietly, not looking towards Bickslow._

 _"What? I've got like another fifteen minutes before I need to leave."_

 _"So?"_

 _"…So why should I go now? I've got time, I can play with Ingrid while you go—"_

 _"No," she said flatly, only lifting her gaze to show Bickslow that she was serious before looking back down to Ingrid, holding the stuffed rabbit just in front of her._

 _"Excuse me?" Bickslow said, slightly confused. He didn't know what was going on. "You can't stop me from playing with my own kid."_

 _"You're right," she replie., "But I don't want you here, so can you please just go?"_

 _"…What?"_

 _With a sigh, Lucy stood up and folded her arms across her chest and looked directly at Bickslow. She'd already said more than she wanted to, just with that one sentence. **Fuck it,** she thought. He was practically pushing her to saying something they'd both regret, so why not just get it out there? Hell, maybe saying it will help her get over it. _

_**Probably not** , she reminded herself. _

_"I don't want you here, because… Well, it's too hard when you're here," she admitted, looking down at the rug between her toes as she wrapped her arms around herself. More than anything, Lucy didn't want to get Bickslow involved in her stupid personal problems – and sure, they existed because of him, sort of, but she still didn't want him to know._

 _But that was too late now._

 _"I don't… I don't understand," Bickslow mumbled, his brows knit together as he looked at her – the woman was obviously in pain, but for a week, she'd been trying to hide it. It was probably the most he'd gotten out of her the entire week, and it wasn't what he'd been expecting. Bickslow had wanted to know just what it was exactly that he'd done to make her feel that way – since their talk on Monday, at least – but he still hadn't known what to do, so he'd left it._

 _But maybe he'd left it for too long. Maybe leaving it and her alone had made things worse. He just didn't know, but he had a feeling he was about to._

 _"It doesn't matter anyway," she muttered, sitting back down on the ground in front of Ingrid._

 _"No, it does."_

 _"Just leave it, Bicks."_

 _"No."_

 _"Please."_

 _"No, Lucy," he said as he moved over to the lounge, resting his hands on the back of it, "We've barely said two words to each other all week, then you go and say that it's too hard when I'm here and you don't even explain it? That's not fair, come on."_

 _"Nothing's fair."_

 _"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

 _She stood up again slowly, continuing to look down at Ingrid. "It means that nothing in this world is fair. Nothing about this entire situation is fair."_

 _"I still don't—"_

 _"Jesus, you just don't get it do you?" When he just gave her a blank look, she continued shakily, "In this world, my heart belongs to you whether I want it to or not, and I really don't, but there's nothing I can do about it."_

 _"Lucy—"_

 _"No, let me finish. You don't understand how much it hurts to even **think** about the possibility of you sleeping with your secretary – or anyone for that matter – and when you're here, that's all I can think about." She paused when she realised she had been raising her voice and she tried to regain her composure, calm herself down some before she continued. She didn't want to yell, especially not around Ingrid. So looking up to a dumbstruck Bickslow, she went on, "It's not fair that I'm the one that has to deal with all of this. **I'm** the one that has to deal with how much this sucks. I don't want any of that, and I shouldn't have to feel any of it, but I do and there's not a single thing I can do about it." _

_Bickslow's throat was dry and he could feel the guilt rising inside of him. The entire time, that's what it had been about. All week, his being there had been hurting her and he hadn't even known it was that bad. He hadn't realised just how much his words had hurt her until that very moment. Bickslow knew that it wasn't just about the other version of himself having an affair – which was something he still believed hadn't actually happened because he really did think anyone would be stupid to cheat on Lucy of all people – but it was about **him** , too. _

_Their attachment wasn't limited to Ingrid – it was to each other as well. In that world, Lucy's heart belonged to him and his to her, and if anything, that was the one thing that was stopping_ him _from doing anything that would ultimately hurt her more, just because it would hurt him too. His own heart had got involved and he hadn't been able to stop it. He'd just been trying not to think about it._

 _Hearing the words from Lucy's mouth just made him feel so much worse than he had been feeling all week._

 _"So… What do you want me to do?" he asked quietly, staring down at the cushions of the lounge he was leaning over._

 _"Nothing," she said simply. "I mean, just… Do whatever. I'm the one that brought it up in the first place, so it's my own fault I'm feeling this way. It's your life, anyway. Live it the way you want to. It has nothing to do with me."_

 _"…I don't think it's your fault. You're the one who said that you couldn't do anything about it so how can you blame yourself?"_

 _"Because I can't blame you."_

 _"Yes, you can." And Bickslow really did think she could, because he wholeheartedly believed it was his fault she was feeling that way, and maybe, just maybe, if he could get her to blame him for her pain then she'd be able to forget about it or move past it. Maybe._

 _"No, I can't, Bicks," Lucy sighed. "I can't blame you for something I brought upon myself. I was the one who said that there's nothing stopping you from sleeping with her. If I blame you then I'll be letting myself believe that I'm allowed to get hurt over it, and I'm not. I have no right to feel this way and neither would you if this situation was reversed."_

 _"So what? I'm just supposed to stand here and pretend that I don't care about the fact that you literally just said I'm hurting you just by being here?"_

 _"Yes, you are," she shot back suddenly to Bickslow's surprise. "Because you're not supposed to care about me in the first place. There is no **us** here, there's nothing between **us**_ _at all. I don't get to be jealous and… And betrayed. And you don't get to care. What we do and how we feel has nothing to do with each other—"_

 _"But you literally just said it was because of me—"_

 _"Oh, whatever, Bickslow! Who cares anymore?" she shouted before leaning back down to pick Ingrid and the stuffed animal up. "I don't want to continue this conversation, so please, just go already."_

 _" **I** care." _

_"Don't." And before Bickslow couldn't even open his mouth to say anything, she cut him off, "Please, Bicks. Just leave."_

 _"But—"_

 _"Bickslow, please. Just go to work already. I can't do this right now," she whispered, then, turning to head down the hall and towards the nursery to get Ingrid changed out of her onesie, she muttered under her breath, "Go fuck your secretary."_

 _"What the fuck was that?" he called down the hall. Bickslow had heard it and even though he was shocked at the language – just because it was from_ her _– it still honestly pissed him off. Lucy still didn't know he wasn't actually interested in fucking his secretary, but that didn't matter anyway, because Lucy wasn't really letting him get a word in edgeways._

 _"I know you heard that so why don't you go do it, huh? You probably already have been anyway for two weeks," she spat back from the nursery, slamming the drawers shut when she got out Ingrid's clothes._

 ** _What the fuck is going on? Where the hell did that even come from?_** _Bickslow just had no idea, because in the space of a few minutes, Lucy had gone from being somewhat calm and reasonable, to a complete nightmare that was not listening to a word he had to say. In that moment, they were both mad at each other and themselves, and honestly, they just needed their space. He could see that._

 _Bickslow was more than happy to leave now, because really, he didn't want to stick around to get yelled at some more._

 _So picking up his keys, phone, and wallet from the kitchen counter, he shoved them in his pockets and turned back to the door. "Fine then! Maybe I will," he shouted from the door._

 _"Alright then!" Came the bitter response from down the hall._

 _Pulling the door open with his jaw set, he said just loud enough for it to reach her ears, "Maybe **I** should've married Lisanna instead. Fuck this." And as soon as he slammed the door behind himself, he regretted even saying it. It was a low blow, especially when he knew the entire Natsu and Lisanna situation had upset her when they'd first arrived to that world. He'd rubbed salt into the wound. _

_But of course, there was no way he was going to go back in and apologise for it. Not at all._

 _Lucy looked down to Ingrid, finally seeing that their yelling had scared her. After all, she'd been yelling at Bickslow from another room and even though Lucy didn't know if Ingrid could even understand it entirely, she knew that no child liked seeing their parents fight. And that's what they were; parents who in that moment were close to hating each other, even though every fibre of their beings disagreed with that._

* * *

 **9:30 AM.**

When it finally ticked over, Bickslow lifted his gaze to stare at the closed door to his office. Any second now and his secretary would walk in.

 _Any second now…_

So when the door finally opened, Bickslow had to stifle his groan because he really wasn't in the mood to put up with her.

"Good morning, Mr. Theroux," she chimed, her smile in place as she closed the door behind her, to which Bickslow raised an eyebrow because it usually got left open. "Here's your coffee. Two sugars as requested."

"Thanks…" Bickslow mumbled as he took the steaming mug when she offered it to him and he took a small sip before placing it down on a coaster and sliding it out of the way.

"Not a problem, Mr. Theroux," she murmured, leaning over the front of the desk and opening up the folder with his timetable for the day and documents to read over right in front of him. When Bickslow lowered his head to read over it, her slender finger reached out to touch his chin and lifted his head back up and she leant in further. "I know you said it wasn't to happen again, but don't you think I _deserve_ another raise, Mr. Theroux?" Veronica whispered, her face only an inch from his as her free hand worked on undoing the top few buttons on her blouse.

"…What?"

Veronica dropped her hands and straightened up, and as she walked around the edge of the desk with her fingers trailing along the edge slowly, she took the photo frame just next to the lamp and laid it face down. "I've seen the way you've been looking at me this past couple of weeks, Mr. Theroux," she murmured, moving closer to the chair before she leant over him slightly, her hands resting on the armrests. "I know this is what you want."

Bickslow kept his eyes up – he was not going to look down her shirt because he knew that that was exactly what she wanted. "This is…" _Wrong? A bad idea? So fucking stupid?_ "I'm married." he muttered.

"That's never stopped you before," she purred, leaning even closer.

Every muscle in Bickslow's body tensed up. _The last time?_ No. She had to be lying. There was no way the other Bickslow would be stupid enough to actually fuck someone else… Right?

"Forget about your wife, Mr. Theroux," Veronica murmured, her lips brushing against his jaw. "Take me over this desk like you used to."

 _Fucking son of a bitch. Fuck._

Bickslow's hands went to her waist as she forced her knee between his legs to rest on the chair, and he lifted her up as he stood, forcing her to stand as we;; as he pushed his chair out of the way and went around the other side of the desk, grabbing his jacket from where it hung over the back of one of the armchairs.

"Mr. The—?" she'd started, her voice wavering as Bickslow made his way towards his office door, but she'd stopped mid-sentence when he slammed the door closed behind him, gaining questioning glances from those who looked up from their own desks, Freed and Evergreen included as they stood outside another office.

Bickslow honestly didn't know who to hate more in that moment as he stormed his way over to the elevators, shrugging his jacket on as he walked. It was either his secretary, the other Bickslow, or himself, if not all of them at once.


	14. Chapter 14

Lucy had taken to spending her mornings with Levy and occasionally Mira until Ingrid needed to be put down for her nap. Being a Friday, Mira had joined them since Blake was at preschool for a few hours that morning, and she didn't like being in the apartment much while she was alone. By that point, given that they had been there for just shy of a month, almost everyone had fallen into what was close to their _normal_ routine. Levy was on maternity leave from her job at Magnolia's City Library, Gajeel was on temporary suspension from the police force (apparently he used force too often and he'd been told to cool down for a couple of weeks before coming back in), Cana apparently owned a bar not too far from their apartment build so she spent a lot of time there, Lisanna worked at a veterinary clinic as a nurse, Elfman was a personal trainer, and Juvia was giving swimming lessons to the kids at the aquatic centre.

So it really only left Lucy not knowing what she doing, but then again, she hadn't really had the chance to worry about it.

Wiping the back of her hand over of her mouth, the blonde trudged her way back to the living area, past the study with the open door that allowed Lucy to see into the warm room with more books than she could count, and then past the small dining room (with even more books) to take a seat back on the lounge next to Mira.

"Oh, come on!" Gajeel yelled at T.V, smashing the buttons on the controller as he sat forward on the lounge. "That fuckin' hit you, Salamander! You can't dodge bullets, you motherfucker!"

Levy sighed as she took one of the small pillows next to her and put it behind her back and let Pantherlily curl up next to her once again, stroking over his ears gently as she stared at the T.V for just a moment before going back to Lucy. "Still sick?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lucy said with a small smile as she drew her own attention away from whatever game it was Gajeel was playing – she'd learnt that Natsu rarely worked, and neither did Gray, so on occasion, they'd be playing online games during the day from their shared office. That was until Erza would walk in and catch them, at least, promptly disconnecting from the game and leaving Gajeel to snicker in the corner of the lounge. "I get better throughout the day though so it's okay."

Mira looked up from where she sat on the floor just next to Lucy, Ingrid lying on her tummy just in front of her and looking towards the stuffed rabbit that Mira had stopped shaking. "Hm? Have you come down with something, Lucy?" the eldest Strauss asked, the concern masking her usually perky smile.

"I don't think so. Probably just something I ate."

Mira hummed in thought as Levy went back to staring at the T.V, one hand still stroking Lily and the other mindlessly rubbing small circles over her swollen belly. By that point, Levy was spending almost her entire day sitting on a lounge or in bed, having Gajeel practically be at her every beck and call, and although the unruly man may act like he hated it, he really didn't mind. After all, it was for Levy, and if he was going to be a slave for anyone, it would be her.

Suddenly, Mira's face split into a wide grin as a certain thought crossed her mind. Her head shot up and she looked to Levy. When Levy could feel a certain someone's eyes on her, she quirked an eyebrow and turned slightly to face Mira, once again shifting her focus from Gajeel trying to kill Natsu and Gray in an online game. Levy didn't understand the look Mira was giving her but she could see the mischievous glint in her eyes that she got whenever she started to think about cute couples and weddings and babies, and honestly, why the hell would she be thinking of that suddenly? When Mira picked up Ingrid from the floor gently and sat her down over her lap, one hand holding the baby upright, her eyes flicked down – gesturing to Ingrid, perhaps?

But no, that wasn't right. That didn't make any sense. Why would she be gesturing to Ingrid?

Mira realised Levy was still confused, so shifting Ingrid slightly, she brought another hand down to her own stomach and rubbed the smallest of circle over her own flat belly, making sure to keep the movement hidden from Lucy, but thankfully, due to the position of Ingrid and where Mira sat, she wouldn't have seen it anyway.

But Levy… She still didn't quite get it. She had a feeling she wasn't supposed to be talking, so she kept quiet even though she just wanted to scream at her friend and ask her just what the hell she was trying to say. Honestly, she didn't have the energy for the charades game.

So with a barely audible sigh, Mira ever so slightly tipped her head forward and as her gaze shifted down again briefly, motioning to Levy's own ginormous belly, Mira pointed to Ingrid, and then cocked her head to the side, motioning to Lucy, who was still oblivious to the silent conversation since she was looking at something on her phone in her lap.

Levy had to stifle the squeal when she finally understood just what Mira had been trying to convey. There was no way that what she meant was possible, and hell, there was no she could jump to that conclusion just from knowing Lucy had been vomiting for the last few days.

It was impossible.

So Levy shook her head, ignoring the raised eyebrows that Gajeel and Lucy were both giving her from the noise she'd made that had come out of nowhere.

But of course, Mira was almost certain that the conclusion she'd jumped to was the correct answer, because honestly, it would be too good to be true if it were the case (at least from her perspective). So, turning to look up at the slightly confused blonde with a slight smirk, she asked, "Worse in the mornings?"

"Yeah…?" Lucy mumbled, not entirely sure why Mira would ask such a question, considering she'd literally just said that she started to feel better over the course of the day (though that wasn't to say she didn't feel queasy at all throughout the day, because she did).

The sparkle in Mira's eyes grew brighter. "Anything else?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know… Like… Anything else that's not strictly normal?" she probed, lowering her voice slightly.

Lucy could feel the heat in her cheeks rise as she ducked her head slightly. "I… I don't know…" she mumbled. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the whole _Doctor Mira_ thing going on right then to say the least. "My lower back starts to ache every now and then… And I had cramps earlier during the week… But I wouldn't say those are that _abnormal_. Why are you even asking me this anyway?"

Mira giggled slightly as she turned back to face Levy who just shrugged. The other woman still wasn't entirely convinced the eldest Strauss wasn't absolutely insane. So turning back to Lucy, Mira looked up again to see the confused expression on the blonde's face. "But did you get your period?"

"W-What? Mira!" Lucy shrieked, suddenly wanting to curl in on herself. Her gaze flicked towards Gajeel briefly who had suddenly become a whole lot more uncomfortable, and honestly, Lucy couldn't blame him. If Gajeel hadn't been in the room, she probably wouldn't be _quite_ so embarrassed about the conversation topic. She'd still be uncomfortable, though.

"What? We're all women here."

"Oi!" Gajeel shot back.

"Oops, sorry," Mira giggled again. "But did you?"

Lucy shook her head as she ducked slightly, grabbing a pillow from beside her and folding her arms across it. "Not yet…"

"Not at all since we've been here?" Levy suddenly chimed in. Maybe Mira was on to something. It would be almost too perfect for it to not come up in the month they'd been there.

Gajeel groaned as Lucy shook her head again and he tore the headset off his ears and dropped it onto the coffee table, picking up the T.V remote and switching everything off. He'd been about to get up and retreat to the other side of the apartment – away from the girl talk that he really didn't want to hear, but then when Mira asked yet another one of her (probably) way too personal questions, he stopped himself, suddenly intrigued.

"Did it ever cross your mind that you might be pregnant?"

"What?! No!" Lucy shrieked again, looking between all three sets of eyes that were on her. "That's not even possible!"

Levy shrugged, "It honestly sounds possible, Lu…"

"No, it's really not." Lucy insisted, "Bickslow and I… We _definitely_ haven't… Look, it's not possible."

"It's so possible, Bunny-girl," Gajeel snickered.

Mira nodded once as she let Ingrid go back to the floor and gave her the stuffed rabbit to occupy herself with. "It could be, especially since we became our counterparts, remember?"

"It would be possible if the other versions of yourselves managed to conceive before we all found ourselves in this situation," Levy agreed.

Before Lucy could even argue that there was no possible way she was pregnant, Mira handed her her phone, so raising an eyebrow at the woman, she took the phone from her hand and looked down at the screen. _Early pregnancy signs? What the hell?_ Almost hesitantly, Lucy scrolled down the page, reading off the list one by one, basically making a checklist in her head. It amazed her just how many of them were symptoms she'd had in the just week and a half alone.

But it didn't prove anything. They were just coincidences, right? Especially since half of them could just be put down to PMS.

 _Fuck._

After staring at the list for much longer than she should have, she handed the phone back to Mira and got up from the chair quickly, moving to pick up her bag from where it sat just next to it. "Can you look after Ingrid for a bit?" she asked, her hand on the doorknob as they all stared back at her questioningly.

"Uh… Sure?" Mira answered. She really didn't have any issues with looking after Ingrid. It was just that she was a little confused as to why it was necessary right then.

And before anyone could even ask where she was going off to so suddenly, Lucy had pulled the door closed behind her and was almost running towards the elevators. She knew the pharmacy a couple of buildings down from the apartments would have what she needed to prove to everyone that she wasn't actually pregnant.

She couldn't be.

* * *

Lucy stared at the box in her hands as she stood in her bathroom. Her hands were trembling and her heart was racing. She didn't know whether she should actually open the box or not and take the plunge into finding out whether or not she was actually pregnant.

The longer she stared at the box, the more Lucy began to realise that it was entirely possible and plausible for her to be pregnant, especially when she remembered an almost unpleasant conversation they'd had with Claire the day they'd found themselves waking up with a baby and married – it had been Valentine's Day the day before, so assuming the world was out to get her, then… Yeah, it was entirely possible.

But what if she actually was? What was she supposed to do? Having an already nearly 6-month old was entirely different to actually going through it all – pregnancy to birth and all of the joys and woes that came with it.

And what about Bickslow? She could barely talk to the guy, let alone be around him without feeling like her heart had a dagger in it, and after the painful conversation that had taken place less than two hours earlier. If she was in fact pregnant then she was undoubtedly going to need Bickslow by her side; she'd need his support because there would be decisions to make that she knew she wouldn't be able to make on her own.

 _I'm getting ahead of myself_ , she reminded herself. _I don't know anything for certain, so there's no reason to be freaking out. It's probably nothing, anyway._ _I am **not** pregnant. _

But despite telling herself that over and over again, there was still that little part of her that realised it was entirely possible she could be.

So with a shaky breath, she flipped the rectangular box around in her hands, and Lucy had been about to open it until she heard the sound of something breaking from the living area, so dropping the box back down by one of the sink, she pulled the bathroom door open and rushed out into the hall.

* * *

Bickslow was almost livid. He couldn't understand any of it. Why the _fuck_ would anyone cheat on someone like _Lucy Heartfilia_ – let alone cheat at all? If you managed to get someone like Lucy, you didn't go and fuck it up by sleeping with someone else, but his other self had and he really fucking hated himself for it.

He had the perfect wife, perfect baby; the perfect family. He had happiness that Bickslow himself was only just beginning to understand, so why, just _why_ , would the other version of himself have done something so goddamn stupid?

Bickslow felt guilty enough as it was following the ' _conversation'_ he'd had with Lucy that same morning, but now he felt even worse. The worst part was that he almost enjoyed the overwhelming feeling of guilt residing within him. Even if it wasn't truly his own guilt, he relished the fact that the son of a bitch that was his other self knew that hurting Lucy like that was wrong. Bickslow would put up with the guilt just for that fact alone.

It didn't even matter to Bickslow whether it had happened once or a hundred times, the point was that the guy had cheated and lied. It didn't. Fucking. Matter.

He was ashamed to even be himself in that moment; he was ashamed to share the same name and face, because god, Bickslow was _not_ the same person. _He_ wouldn't do something so heartless and cruel. _He_ wouldn't do something to jeopardise the near perfect life that he'd wanted for himself one day. _He_ wouldn't ever hurt someone like that – especially Lucy because he'd hurt her enough as it was in his own life and she didn't deserve any of it. She didn't deserve to feel any pain at all, and when Bickslow realised that she was going to have her heart completely shattered when she realised just what the other version of himself had done, his own heart hurt. If he could take all of her pain, he would within a heartbeat because everything was his fault.

He would take the blame for everything and he would live with the guilt and pain just because the other version of himself wouldn't, or maybe couldn't.

And maybe he was only feeling that way because it was the fact that there was still a part of the other Bickslow inside of him that still loved the other Lucy – or Lucy in general – or maybe it was his own feelings clouding his judgement, because god, had he actually begun to grow close to the woman, and he knew that that wasn't his body. It was him; the _real_ him, through and through.

But none of it mattered.

So as he sat in the back of a taxi, stuck in traffic, he pulled his phone out of his pocket when he started to feel it vibrate for the umpteenth time.

 ** _18 missed calls._**

 ** _5 unread messages._**

 ****Freed and Evergreen had been trying to get hold of him since he'd stormed out of the office, but he wasn't going to talk to them. He couldn't.

Bickslow didn't want to talk to anyone, not unless it was lucy.

But at the same time he really didn't want to, because it was going to hurt her so much and it really was unfair that she was the one who was going to get her heart broken because of something he himself didn't even do.

The world really wasn't fair. He would agree with her there.

With a sigh, he slouched back in the taxi and shoved the phone back in his pocket after turning it off. If there was one thing he really didn't like about that world, other than _everything_ , it was the traffic.

* * *

It was only a little past 10 a.m. by the time Bickslow got back to the apartments, and in his angered and frustrated state, he'd completely forgotten that Lucy usually spent the mornings with Levy so she wouldn't even be at home.

But when he finally made it to his apartment and the door was closed firmly behind him, he didn't go and sit down on the lounge, he didn't go and get changed or at least take off the tie that made it feel like he was suffocating. He didn't get anything to eat or drink and he didn't even bother with calling out to the silent apartment to see if he'd get a response, just in case Lucy had stayed home.

No, he didn't do anything but stare at the goddamn photos on the wall.

Bickslow had managed to calm himself down – just a tiny bit – on his way home, but seeing all of those photos just made the anger bubble up inside him again.

He moved to stand before them with his arms folded and stared up at each and every single one of them, and through all of the guilt and anger, all he felt was pain. His own heart hurt again because he still couldn't believe that he could do something so stupid.

It hurt because he didn't understand it. The Bickslow and Lucy in those photos looked so happy and in love with each other, but maybe it had all been a façade? Maybe the Bickslow of that world had been miserable the entire time and maybe that's what led him to having an affair in the first place. Maybe he just wasn't as happy as he seemed in all of those photos.

 _No. That can't be right_ , Bickslow told himself. Because that just didn't make sense. At all.

He got the amazing daughter and he got the gorgeous wife; he married fucking Lucy Heartfilia, of all people. There was no way he couldn't have been happy with that life, because all Lucy does is bring joy to those around her. It didn't matter what world she was in, because that's just the kind of person Lucy was. It's physically impossible for anyone to be miserable with someone like her in their life, so just why the fuck would his other self have done something so goddamn stupid?

Was it because that's just the kind of person the other Bickslow was?

Truthfully, Bickslow himself didn't even want to know. The harm had been done, but god, was he so fucking mad, and it was with himself more than anything.

Almost without thinking, he unfolded his arms and in one swift movement, his closed fist had smashed through the glass of the photo right in the centre of them all – one of their wedding photos. The first photo he'd even seen in that world.

He couldn't beat himself up, so he'd have to settle with a photo of himself. He didn't get to marry her and then cheat on her.

Someone like him just didn't deserve someone like Lucy. Not in any world.

Shaking his hand when he finally registered the stinging pain, he stepped over the broken photo frame and shards of glass where they lay on the floor by his feet and made his way over to the sink. " _Fuck_ ," he hissed under his breath, wincing as he shrugged his jacket off and over his hand before tossing it onto the bench.

Bickslow wasn't one to lash out like that. Hell, he rarely got angry enough to even come close to doing something like that, but he knew it was only because his he'd let his own emotions and feelings get the better of him. He'd let the fact he held Lucy in such a high regard fuel his anger, and truthfully, he hadn't realised just how much he actually cared about Lucy until that moment. Bickslow could tell the difference between his own feelings and those that were there just because in that world, he was supposed to be in love with her.

Bickslow knew that even though the guy had cheated on her, he still loved her, just because it was Lucy and it was impossible _not_ to love her, at least a little bit.

Even without an actual, physical guild, Lucy would always be the light of it, but the guild still lived on – within them. The guild was there because they were all a family and that's really what it meant to be a part of Fairy Tail.

It was impossible not to love or care about Lucy just _because_ she was the light of the guild. Her smile was one that was bright enough to light up entire rooms and she was almost always bursting at the seams with joy. Her happiness was contagious and her abilities to never give up and believe in someone were ones that many in the guild envied – including Bickslow. The fact that she also had the capacity to forgive almost anyone for anything was something that really did make it hard not to love her. After all, she'd managed to forgive him and his entire team for the stunt they'd pulled with Fantasia, and to that day, Bickslow still wondered how she'd managed to forgive _him_. Though, he did think it had something to do with the fact she'd kicked his ass… twice.

But regardless, just thinking about how practically perfect Lucy was was making him focus on the fact that his other self had hurt her in the worst way possible and it made his fury rise all over again. That Bickslow didn't deserve her. Hell, no one deserved Lucy in his opinion, and he knew he had no right to decide who actually deserved someone like her, but he didn't care. Bickslow had learned the hard way that the world – no, every _single_ goddamn world, were all terrible places and as long as there's people like him in those worlds, she'll always get hurt. Bickslow had seen her get hurt far too many times – physically and emotionally; he didn't want to see it again and if that meant he had to become far too overbearing, selfish, and a little bit hypocritical, then so be it. In his own way, he kind of wanted her to himself, just because he knew he wouldn't have done something so terrible. If _he'd_ been the one to marry her – to have a family with her, then he would have cherished it with all that he had, because honestly, cheating on someone like Lucy was like going for a second-place prize when you've already won.

Well, that's how Bickslow saw it, anyway.

But it was just a 'would have' scenario, because he would never get someone like Lucy either, just because it would be hypocritical to be with her.

But Bickslow had honestly been too busy, lost in his thoughts, to even notice that Lucy was even home and she was standing at the end of the counter, calling his name and asking what was going on.

"Bickslow? What the hell happened?" she asked once again, her voice frantic as she looked at the blood running off in the water as Bickslow held his hand under the faucet. She'd been standing there long enough to see the water run red to almost clear.

And when Bickslow finally noticed, he visibly flinched – every muscle tensing as he finally turned the tap off. He knew he'd wanted to talk to her… But now, with her there, he really had no idea what to say. It was almost as if he wanted to say it the right way, but really, was there even a right way of saying ' _the other me cheated on you because he's an asshole?_ '

 _Probably not_ , he noted.

"What did you do?" she said softly, her voice barely a whisper.

Bickslow looked down at his hand again, already seeing the thin rivulets of blood running down over his fingers from the cuts on his knuckles. _Who would have thought a photo frame would hurt so much._ But he still didn't know what to say, and the longer he put it off, the less he wanted to say anything.

So, walking around the counter again he made his way back to the other side of the dining table. "Gotta clean this up," he mumbled as he crouched down by the broken frame and shards of glass.

When he picked up the frame and placed it up on the table, Lucy furrowed her brow as she stared at it, walking over to pick it up as Bickslow gathered up the glass from the floor and from the console table. "Why…? What happened? Please, tell me…" Because really, she was confused as all hell. Why was the frame with one of their wedding photos destroyed?

"Can't beat myself up so a photo will have to do," Bickslow said bitterly.

"What are you talking about?"

"The guy's an asshole," he muttered, standing up again as he walked over to the bin to drop the shards in.

 _What the hell is he talking about?_ "Who is?" she asked as she followed him with her eyes as he grabbed the dustpan and brush from below the sink.

" _Him_ ," Bickslow yelled as he pointed to the frame in her hands. "Sorry, I just…" Bickslow sighed then, crouching back down to sweep up the smaller pieces of glass. "He cheated on you – the other Lucy, I mean, and it pisses me off so fucking much."

Lucy inhaled sharply and she felt the exact moment her heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. It was almost as if every happy moment she'd shared with Bickslow and had become her best memories had been ripped from her, suddenly meaningless.

But no, that wasn't right, was it? Because _she_ didn't have those memories; they weren't strictly hers. Rather, they were the other Lucy's memories that were a part of her. But why was she seeing them in the first place? Why was she seeing snippets of the life she'd lived in that world? From dates to holidays they'd apparently taken together, to the proposal and the beach wedding where the same photo in her hand was taken.

But then it was all over again in what was just a few short seconds, and that's all she was staring at: the broken photo frame with man that cheated on his wife, and she felt physically ill. The _thought_ of that Bickslow – Bickslow in general, as it turns out – cheating on that Lucy, and really, it was her in general, too, was bad enough. But knowing that it actually happened, it was making her sick to her stomach.

Dropping the frame back down to the table, she ran back down the hall to the bathroom and as soon as she was in the room, she practically launched herself at the toilet, not even bothering with closing the door.

Bickslow's guilt and rage intensified with the sound of her retching drifting down the hall. Either it was incredibly bad timing or it had hurt her that much that it had made her physically sick, and he hated that. It wasn't fair that she had to deal with that. None of it was fair.

So after sweeping all of the glass into the bin, he looked back down at his bloodied hand and sighed, rolling the sleeves of his shirt up and ignoring the fact he got blood all over the cuff of the sleeve anyway, he made his way down to the bathroom once all was quiet again. Bickslow really didn't want to go in there, but he really needed to sort his hand out and the bandages were in the bathroom.

"Sorry, I just need to get the…" he began as he walked in, only briefly glancing down at the blonde who was leaning on the side of the toilet with her head on her arm before he went over to the bathroom counter. He froze with a hand on one of the drawers when something sitting on the corner of the bench caught his eye. "…Bandages…" he finished quietly, trailing off.

 _Pregnancy test? What the fuck?_

Every bit of anger instantly dissolved into worry and panic and he could feel his heart rate pick up again.

"Lucy?" he whispered, still unable to move or draw his gaze away from the box on the counter.

"What?" she groaned. If she could feel shame or embarrassment, she probably would have. Hell, it was entirely possible she was actually embarrassed in that moment, but she was honestly just giant, messy, ball of emotions. By that point, Lucy couldn't tell one feeling from the next because everything had hit her at once like a train.

"Are you… pregnant?"

 _Shit. Shit. Shit._

Lucy had momentarily forgotten about the test and she really did not want to get Bickslow involved – not yet, anyway. But it was too late for that, because he'd seen it… And he'd asked… And she was freaking out. Again.

"I… no," she said, pushing her head up as she pushed the lever to flush the toilet.

"Oh… Oka—"

"…Maybe," she then admitted with a grimace. Then, looking down at her hands as she shifted slightly, she whispered, "I might be…"

 _Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm_ , Bickslow told himself, because he knew that if he was freaking out, then she was going to be even worse and it didn't take an idiot to realise that the timing of everything was terrible. And honestly, throwing in a possible pregnancy was really just making things worse – especially for Lucy.

But god, did he feel sorry for her because he really couldn't even begin to understand exactly how she felt. He could really only guess.

"I was going to do it just then but then you broke the photo frame, I guess…" Lucy mumbled as she finally raised herself from the floor to stand on shaky legs, folding her arms as she looked down at the tiles.

"Oh… Yeah… Sorry. I thought you were at Levy's," he said, finally able to move and open the drawer.

A semblance of a smile flitted across her lips, just for the briefest of seconds. "And I thought you were at work."

"Fair point," he said, and then after glancing back down at the pregnancy test on the bench, he looked back up to Lucy. "Can you, uh… do it then?"

Lucy could feel the blush creep up on her cheeks as she shuffled uncomfortably with a slight nod. When Bickslow didn't make an effort to move, she looked up and she really couldn't stop the corner of her mouth curling up into a small smirk. Through all of the pain and anxiety, the sight of Bickslow standing before her, awkward and obviously uncomfortable and not really knowing what to do or say was just a little entertaining.

Just a little bit.

"You uh… going to leave? Or are you just going to stand there while I pee on a stick?" she asked.

If it was possible, Bickslow paled even more and then when his own blush formed, Lucy giggled quietly and he stopped gaping like a fish out of water. "U-Uh… Yep, you know what? I'm gonna leave," He muttered as he grabbed everything he needed from the drawer and all but ran back out into the hall. Bickslow could only shake his head lightly when he realised the drastic mood changes would make so much sense if Lucy was actually pregnant.

So as the door closed, Lucy turned back to the bathroom counter and only after brushing her teeth did she finally pick up the dreaded test with a sigh. To think that her entire world could be turned upside down once again in a matter of minutes scared the living hell out of her.


	15. Chapter 15

Lucy paced up and down the small bathroom, compulsively checking her phone every twenty seconds to check the progress of the timer while she made sure not to even look towards the stick on the corner of the bench.

When the timer finally sounded after what felt like the longest three minutes of her entire life, she froze, finally looking to the bench. Was she even breathing? Was her heart even beating anymore? She honestly didn't know. Everything had frozen.

But slowly, she began to hear her heartbeat in her ears and she became aware of just how heavy her breathing was. She couldn't look at it; she couldn't bring herself to reach out and look at the results.

She didn't want to know what the result was.

But god, did she need to know.

So quickly, she gathered up the box and test and walked out of the bathroom and back out into the living area, throwing them down on the kitchen counter as she went back to pacing, biting on her thumbnail.

Bickslow looked up and stopped fiddling with the bandage around his knuckles and hand. He glanced down at the test on the bench and then back up to Lucy, feeling his own heart beat just a little bit faster again from his own nervousness.

"So?" he said quietly.

"I… I don't know…" she mumbled, continuing to pace between the hall and the front door. "I haven't looked at it. I _can't_ look."

"Do you, uh… want me to do it?"

Lucy nodded quickly, and Bickslow reached out and slid them towards where he sat. He had to remind himself to stay calm no matter what the outcome was, because Lucy was going to be freaking the fuck out, especially if it came back a certain way. She would need him if that happened, regardless of whether she wanted to admit or not. And Bickslow was going to be willing to be there for her.

That was if she'd actually let him, of course, because she still had all of that pain and heartbreak on her shoulders. If she didn't want him near her, then Bickslow wouldn't be able to blame her. That didn't mean he'd give up, though.

The possibility of Lucy being pregnant was game-changing. They'd only recently been able to get into a sort of stable routine with their new lives, but if she actually was pregnant, then everything would change. Again. It was bad enough that the two of them had to deal with their counterpart's fuck ups, but now this? There was a very big part of him that didn't want to even think of a baby being a fuck up, but… there was also a part of him that was finding it hard to see it as anything else.

None of it was fair, but they didn't have a choice in it. They didn't want any of it, but they were stuck with it.

So Bickslow stared down at the test, and then to the box, and then back. And then he did it again, just to make sure he wasn't getting himself confused and he wasn't reading the wrong thing or seeing something that wasn't there, and the more he did it, the more his brow furrowed and the more his heart rate went up.

The game was changing all over again, because Lucy was pregnant.

"Well?" Lucy asked quietly as she stared anxiously at Bickslow. The longer he stared at that damn stick, the worse she felt.

"Um… Well…" Bickslow mumbled, dropping it back down to the bench and looking up again. "It's uh… positive, I guess. You're pregnant." Because telling someone who you're legally and technically married to, just happened to cheat on in that world, and are only really friends with, that they're pregnant is so not weird. At all.

There's nothing weird about that at all, and honestly, Bickslow couldn't help but think the whole ' _announcement'_ thing should be the opposite way around. You know, should it be conventional.

Everything was just weird.

"I… No… No, I can't be," Lucy whispered, going back to pacing when the panic set in. "I mean, it's got to be a false positive and I must have done it wrong _somehow_ or you must have read it wrong or… Or…" But she had to stop her rambling, because she couldn't breathe. She couldn't hear anything over the sound of the blood rushing in her ears and there was nothing else but the tightness in her chest. Everything around her became blurred and she couldn't focus on anything but the fact that she was pregnant.

Lucy knew that no matter how many excuses she could come up with, she was pregnant. There was no denying it, really. But she didn't want to accept it either, because it scared her.

She'd stared death in the face more times than she could count – it was just one of the things you got used to being on Team Natsu – but she'd never been more terrified in her entire life than she was at that moment.

When Lucy slid down to her knees on the floor, Bickslow shot up from his stool and rushed over to her side to crouch down just in front of her. "Shit, Lucy…" he said, his voice strained. She was in distress and even though Bickslow had expected her to be like that, he didn't expect it to be that bad.

Almost hesitantly, he reached out gently to touch her arms, just below her shoulders. Bickslow could feel the muscles in her arms tense under his fingers, but it was just for a second, and just as quickly she had relaxed again. "Lucy, calm down," he said quietly. "Breathe."

"I… Can't…" she whispered, barely able to hear his words over the sound of her own heart in her ears.

She wasn't entirely sure where she'd been going with her words. Can't what, though? Can't breathe? Can't calm down? Can't be having a baby?

Or was it just that she couldn't do it anymore?

She truly didn't know the answer herself.

"Yes, you can," Bickslow said, slowly running his hands down her arms, and back up. "Deep breaths, come on."

Bickslow slowly became clearer; his soothing voice telling her to breath, over and over again. She could feel his hands on her arms and slowly but surely, Lucy began to return to herself. The room came back into focus.

She felt like there was a lump in her throat and that she was like a dam, waiting to burst; too many emotions were coursing through her and she was far too overwhelmed. She could barely get her thoughts into a logical order, but… she felt as if Bickslow was grounding her, almost. It was as if his presence alone was bringing her back down – calming her.

But that didn't make sense, because if anything, she should despise him being there. All week, it had been almost too painful just to be around him, but now, she didn't want him to leave.

That wasn't to say she was still in immense emotional pain from having her heart shattered, because she was; the only difference was that Lucy had realised that that feeling she'd had whenever she was around Bickslow – the feeling of being safe, almost. The warmth, that feeling of belonging… It was from the Bickslow in front of her. It wasn't her heart and her body trying to connect to the one that was supposed to be her husband, because Lucy knew that there was nothing but pain and hatred there. Whatever the other Lucy had once felt for the other Bickslow, she knew it was long gone.

It really just left her own feelings, and even though she didn't know how or why she felt that way around Bickslow, she knew she needed it. Lucy needed the comfort that he was trying to give her; she needed Bickslow. The real Bickslow.

So when she finally burst, so to speak, letting everything that had been building up over the week and especially over the last few hours go, and her body began to shake with her sobs, without thinking, Lucy leant forward slowly and came to rest her head on Bickslow's chest, grasping at the fabric as she cried into his shirt.

And he flinched at first, not expecting it to happen. But almost instantly, Bickslow got over it and wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he possibly could, one arm around her back and the other at the back of her head and buried within the golden tresses.

"Shh, it's alright," he whispered, a hand smoothing up and down her back. "You're okay."

"I-I'm s-scared," Lucy stammered.

"I know you are," And Bickslow was too, he really was; but he couldn't show that, because with the way things were, Bickslow would set everything aside just for Lucy – to make sure that she was okay first. She was the priority because Bickslow knew that she had it so much worse, because of something that his other self had done. "I've got you, don't worry."

Just hearing those words come out of Bickslow's mouth let Lucy relax just a little bit more. She needed Bickslow to be there for her; she needed his support and the comfort that she knew he could give her – hell, that he was _giving_ her.

And so they sat there on the floor, basically clinging to each other and not moving for god knows how long. Time didn't matter, especially not to Bickslow. He'd sit there for as long as it took or until she pushed him away and remembered the pain that his other self had caused. Hell, a part of him didn't even _want_ to move either. Despite the circumstances, he liked being able to hold Lucy like that – to comfort her, reassure her, and make sure she knew that everything would be fine.

Bickslow would make sure everything would be fine.

When he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, he shifted as little as possible to reach into his pocket and pull it out before holding it behind her head so he could read the message.

 ** _Boss Man:  
I don't care what it is that made you leave, but if you're not here for the meeting at 11:30 then I'm not going to come up with another excuse for you. _**

So when he checked the time, he had to stifle a groan because it was nearly eleven as it was. More than anything, Bickslow would rather stay there with Lucy, but he really couldn't. As much as he hated the meetings that he had so many of, he'd learned the hard way that there were some that were much more important than the others, and the one at eleven thirty was one of them.

Besides, she'd stopped crying by that point and even though she'd barely moved and kept her head buried in his shirt, she had to have calmed down enough to realise she couldn't be around him without hurting herself even more.

So maybe Bickslow having to go back to work wasn't entirely a bad thing. For Lucy, anyway.

"Lucy…" he said softly as he tried to pull away slightly, only for her to tighten his grip on his shirt even more, stopping him.

"Don't… Please…" she whispered, keeping her head down.

"I have to go back to work…"

"Please… Son't leave…"

 _What?_ "I… I don't want to, I really don't," he said as he gently lifted her to her feet with him. "But it will only be for a few hours, I promise."

Lucy stared at where her hands were gripping the middle of Bickslow's shirt, and where his own hands were covering hers. She realised how clingy she was being then. It was selfish to want him to stay just because she didn't want to be alone, because she knew that once she was alone, all of the anxiety and fear and pain would come back, just because Bickslow was all that kept her it all in check.

But it was selfish. She knew that Bickslow had to be freaking out, and sure, Lucy could see that it was nowhere near as much as she was, but he had to be, at least a little bit. He probably needed space though, she realised.

So with a single nod, she pulled her hand away and turned to push past him and walk down the hall, her arms wrapped around herself. "Fine, yeah…" she mumbled.

And Bickslow felt a sharp pain in his chest, because he really did feel like he was actually leaving her, even if it really was just going to be for a few hours.

Silently, he followed her down the hall, and when she curled up on top of the bed with her back to him, Bickslow knew he couldn't leave her alone. Not like that, anyway. So after throwing his stained shirt into the hamper and buttoning up another one quickly, he walked over to her side of the bed and knelt down in front of her.

Lucy tried to grab a pillow to hide her face at least, but Bickslow stopped her, his hand grabbing her wrist. "It's okay, really," she muttered, only turning her head slightly in attempt to bury her face in the one she already had.

"No, it's not," Bickslow sighed, and really, it wasn't okay. But he was still working on that. "I can't stay and I don't want to leave you alone, so come with me."

"…What?"

"Come with me back to work," he said as he let go of her wrist. When she sat up just a little bit, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. At least she wasn't totally lost to the world, right? "There's something cool there I want to show you anyway, and besides, no one will disturb you there. It'll just be me, but I have a couple more meetings to get through today but they shouldn't take too long."

Lucy ran over it in her head, over and over. She didn't want to seem needy – to really admit that she needed Bickslow, but… she did. And he was right there, in front of her. He was offering her the thing she needed most in that moment, and that was his comfort; it was himself.

"Is that even allowed?" she mumbled.

"It's my office, I can have whoever the hell I want in it."

So nodding slightly, Lucy sat up and swung her legs around to touch the floor gently. When Bickslow straightened up and headed towards the door, she called out, "Wait." Then, looking up slightly when he turned back to face her, she said quietly, "Can you um… Can you ask Levy and Gajeel or… Or Mira if they can look after Ingrid? I don't… I don't want to bring her…"

"She isn't here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as Lucy shook her head. "Alright, yeah." When Lucy got and silently padded over to the bathroom, he quickly and quietly asked, "Are you going to be okay to meet me in the lobby in a few minutes?"

With another silent nod, she pushed the door open as Bickslow headed out into the hall. Her mouth fell into a frown when she looked at the reflection of herself in the mirror – eyes red and puffy and honestly, she just looked _terrible_.

But hey, it was nothing a little cold water and makeup couldn't fix, right?

* * *

Bickslow knocked on the door to Gajeel and Levy's apartment, shoving his hands in his pockets as he waited for _someone_ to pull the door open. Time was not on his side that day/

So when Gajeel opened the door with a scowl on his face, Bickslow cut to the chase as Gajeel stepped aside and let him through the door.

"I need you to do me a favour," Bickslow said as he saw Mira coming out from the hall in his peripheral vision. _Good, at least Ingrid's here_ , he thought.

"Why would I do you a favour?" Gajeel asked, folding his arms across his chest as he walked back around to his lounge and slumped down next to Levy again, controller in hand.

"Because I'll owe you one."

"Fine," he said, not looking away from the T.V screen, "What is it?"

"I need you to look after Ingrid for the afternoon," Bickslow said, and when Mira moved to sit in front of the armchair he was standing beside, he added, "Well, I need one of you to do it. Please."

Mira looked up and frowned slightly. "I would but I have to go and pick Blake up soon."

"It's okay, we'll do it." Levy said with a small smile.

"The hell we will, Shrimp," Gajeel shot back as he briefly glanced sideways, then, looking back to T.V to see that his character had been killed, shouted, "Gray, you motherfucker!"

"Yes, we will," Levy insisted, narrowing her eyes slightly at her unfortunate partner. "Think of it as practice. You know there's only a couple of weeks to go, Gajeel."

After another sideways glance and a quiet sigh, he finally grumbled, "Tch, fine."

"Thanks, Levy," Bickslow said, reaching into one of his pockets to pull his keys out. He separated the apartment key from the rest, he placed it down on the end table just next to one of the lounges. "This is the key to the apartment. You'll need to get some stuff from there later so just walk in and call me if you can't figure something out, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel mumbled. "We get it."

"Right, yeah… Okay." Bickslow nodded and turned for the door again after a quick glance at his watch. _Damn it._ He was about to pull their front door open when Levy called out and he froze.

"Wait, Bickslow," she said. "So… Is she?"

"…Is _she_ what?" he replied, narrowing his eyes as he turned to look over his shoulder at the three staring back at him with eyes wide – including Gajeel, temporarily forgetting about his game.

"Wait, have you talked to Lucy since this morning?" When Bickslow remained silent, Levy continued, "I mean, she said you guys had an argument before you went to work… But since then?"

Bickslow finally turned around, folding his arms across his chest. "Why?"

"O-Oh… No reason…" she mumbled, eyes darting down to look at her hands clasped over her belly, examining her nails.

"Levy…" He said, his voice graver than usual. "What do you know?"

"I know lots of things… Bits and pieces of everything, really…"

" _Levy_."

Levy looked up suddenly, "Look, I just wanted to know if you've talked to her since you left for work, alright? And why aren't you there now, anyway?"

"I have talked to her, and… It's complicated," he admitted, "Now, what do you know?"

"What did you talk about…?" Mira chimed in, looking up at Bickslow from her chair, and hell, she was almost bursting with excitement and Bickslow could only raise an eyebrow, because really, he didn't know what was going on.

Well, he had a fairly good idea, but he wasn't going to say anything until _they_ did, so Bickslow just remained silent.

"Jesus, just straight out ask him or I will," Gajeel muttered.

"But what if she hasn't brought it up yet?" Levy hissed.

"Then he's gonna get a shock, isn't he?" Gajeel snickered with his smug smirk.

"Just what the hell happened here this morning?" Bickslow demanded, forcing them all to turn back to face him again.

"Uh… Well…" Mira muttered as Bickslow looked down to eldest Straus., "We might have said some things…That might have made her realise something… That led to her asking us to watch Ingrid as she ran out the door suddenly, and we haven't seen her since."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he leant back on the lounge with a loud sigh. "You two are useless," he complained, and then, with his smirk in place, he turned to look at Bickslow, not caring that his character had died again – to a flamethrower, it seemed – and asked bluntly, "So is Bunny knocked up or not?"

 _Shit._

So when they all looked back at Bickslow, awaiting his answer, he opened his mouth to say something – _anything_ – but he shut it just as quickly, because really, he didn't know what to say.

Could he say yes? Because really, it was pretty damn good chance that she actually was, at least considering the supposed accuracy of the tests (which he had quickly searched up on his phone on his way up to that floor), but was it even his place to say that she was? It wasn't like they'd even talked about it, but it was just another thing added to the ever-growing list of things that they _needed_ to talk about.

Could he say no? Probably not, he realised. He was a terrible liar.

So what was he supposed to do? They obviously knew enough to at least suspect it, and honestly, that was more than he had up to an hour ago.

He turned back down to Mira, because really, he knew it had something to do with her. By the way Lucy had been acting at finding out she actually was pregnant, Bickslow knew that she hadn't even considered that possibility herself, and the only other people she'd talked to that morning were in that very room.

Mira was always the centre of anything to do with weddings and babies, so of course, it had to have been her.

"How?" he asked, glaring at the eldest Strauss. He didn't need to say anything else, because he knew that one word was enough.

"W-Well, she said she was feeling unwell and that she was late—"

Gajeel groaned again, interjecting, "She bombarded Lucy with questions."

"I did not!" Mira whined, and then with a sigh she dropped her head slightly to continue, "Okay, fine, maybe I did… But I really just put two-and-two together and it made sense."

"So do you know if she is or not?" Levy asked quietly, because really, it was the only thing everyone wanted to do.

But Bickslow still didn't know if it was his place to confirm or deny it or not, so… he just remained silent. But unfortunately, they weren't going to take silence as an answer. Of course they weren't.

"We know you know if she is or not—" Gajeel started.

"You don't know that," Bickslow interrupted him.

"We do," Levy said. "Because if you didn't, you would have run out that door as soon as he even asked you the first time, so you obviously know."

 _Damn it. She's right_.

"So, think of this as me cashing in that favour you now owe me—" Gajeel said.

"Us," Levy corrected.

"Fine, _us_ ," Gajeel grumbled. Then, turning back to the still scowling Bickslow, he continued with his ever present terrifying grin, "Come on, Bicks. Tell us if you're gonna be a daddy again."

And Bickslow just continued standing there with his arms folded in total silence, just for a tiny bit longer. The words just sounded creepy coming out of Gajeel's mouth if he had to be perfectly honest.

But still… He eventually cracked after just a few short moments, and at which point, he unfolded his arms and turned for the door with a sigh, his entire stoic stance falling instantly. "Fine, she's pregnant, but do _not_ breathe a word of this to _anyone_ else, especially Lucy."

So when they all nodded, too stunned to even talk because even though they'd all come to expect that she actually was, it was still a shock to hear it actually confirmed.

"Good," Bickslow said as he finally pulled the door open, and with a final glance over his shoulder, he said hurriedly, "Remember to call me if you get stuck—"

"Yeah, yeah. Heard you the first time," Gajeel mumbled, finally going back to his game. "Call you if we get stuck with Ingrid; we got it. Just go already, jeez."

* * *

Bickslow sighed as he made his way back to his office, fiddling with the bandages as he walked. He'd had to go straight to his meeting by the time he got back to the office, only having time to show Lucy where his office was before he'd rushed off to the elevators again. It was only a short meeting, thankfully, so he'd only had to leave her for less than an hour, but still, he hadn't wanted to leave in the first place but he didn't have a choice.

But when he looked up and saw his office in sight, door closed and blinds lowered, he started walking just a little bit quicker, walking around Freed and Evergreen as they headed towards their own respective offices just next to his.

The only problem was that he glanced towards the desks in the centre of the room, and there, at the desk closest to his office door in amongst the other dozen or so cubicles, sat Veronica and she happened to look up right as he walked past. Internally, Bickslow was cursing himself because he'd been hoping he would be able to put off talking to her for a little while longer, and he knew that as soon as he walked into his office, she was going to follow him, and with Lucy in there it was going to be more than a little uncomfortable.

So when he finally got to his office and closed the door behind him, he didn't go over to his desk, even though Lucy was sitting in his chair with her arms around her leg and holding it close to her chest, leaning her chin on her knee. No, instead he just stood by the door with his hands in his pockets and waited for Veronica to walk in.

"Bicks?" Lucy said quietly, an eyebrow raised.

"Just… wait," he mumbled, continuing to stare at the door.

Luckily, it wasn't much of a wait for his secretary to finally walk in, so when Lucy heard the door open, she stopped idly swivelling on the chair and stared at the door.

"What the hell was—" Veronica hissed, closing the door behind her, but when she saw Lucy sitting in the chair instead of Bickslow like she had expected, she stopped, eyes going wide. With a quick glance towards Bickslow who she realised was just glaring at her, she smoothed down her skirt and blouse – that thankfully, had all of the buttons done up again – and looked back towards Lucy, forcing what was supposed to look like a genuine smile. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Theroux. I apologise. I… I wasn't aware you were here," she stammered, her eyes darting towards Bickslow every now and then.

Lucy's face went bright red at the mention of her last name. Even though it wasn't technically correct, since every letter or card with her name on it had been listed as _Heartfilia-Theroux_ , Lucy was still trying to get used to it.

Lucy was smart, so she knew that the woman was his secretary, and it didn't take much to figure out that she was the one the other Bickslow had an affair with, and even though Lucy was aware that whatever the other Lucy felt towards the other Bickslow was long gone, it still hurt _her_. She could feel it getting worse and more painful with each passing second; it was getting worse the longer she stayed away from Bickslow even though he was in the same room.

"I-It's fine… No harm done," she whispered, lowering her head to rest her cheek on her knee instead, looking out at the city of Magnolia that surrounded her.

Turning to face Bickslow, Veronica shuffled uncomfortably. "Uh… so, you have a few messages on your desk," she mumbled, looking up she took a few steps forward as Bickslow stepped back at the same time. "Did you want to go over the notes from that… meeting… this mor—"

"Don't. Just stop," Bickslow said, cutting her off as she stared up at him in shock, mouth slightly open and her face red. "You should go and clean out your desk."

"W-What? Are you _firing_ me? You… You can't do that." Veronica said, folding her own arms across her chest, standing her ground with determination.

"Yes, I can."

"Not without a reason."

"I can, and I am. I made sure of that," Bickslow insisted. A quick phone call with their human resources block earlier that week and they'd confirmed that it was in fact possible for Bickslow to fire his secretary, just because he wanted to. Sure, it was morally unjust, but he could do it if he really wanted to. They'd even started getting the paperwork ready. All they had to do was get it all signed by Bickslow and file it.

But of course, he'd decided to give her a chance, just to see if she would stick with the flirting, because honestly, Bickslow could put up with that even if it made him uncomfortable as all hell. But that morning, she'd pushed it too far. It was time to find a new secretary.

So, finally turning away and walking towards his desk, not particularly wanting to continue the conversation, he shrugged his jacket off and threw it over the back of one of the chairs. Rolling his sleeves up to his elbows slowly, he said firmly, "So really, I would suggest going and cleaning out your desk before you make it worse for yourself."

"You can't do this!"

"I told you that I can, and I am, so go," Bickslow said, looking over his shoulder.

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, each waiting for what the other's next move would be. Bickslow didn't want it to be drawn out and even more painful, and Veronica just didn't want to accept the fact she was being fired.

"I bet this is her idea, right?" Veronica seethed, pointing to the blonde in the chair. "You want to keep your _precious_ marriage alive so you told your goddamn wife, right? And now she's telling you to fire me? Is that what this is?"

Bickslow closed his eyes and he leant forward over the armchair, his hands on the backrest as he tried to stop himself from getting too angry again. He'd tried to be patient with Veronica, and he was still trying to, but his patience was quickly wearing thin by that point. The fact she'd directly involved Lucy was infuriating him.

Bickslow just simply didn't have the patience or time to be dealing with his frustrating and annoying _ex_ -secretary, so taking a steadying breath, he marched over to the door and pulled it open, just glaring at her as she stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Are you serious right now?" she whispered, folding her arms again.

He nodded, gesturing to the open door with his free hand and ignoring the looks from those closest to his office. "Just get out. I'll have HR send you the paperwork later."

She just stood there, gaping like a fish out of water before she stormed back to the door. And of course, she had to get in one list thing before she left, just because she was getting fired and no one likes getting fired.

So, as she walked through the doorframe, she turned to face Bickslow, continuing to walk backwards towards her desk which was directly behind her. "Wow, fucked me and fired me," she shouted, loud enough for almost everyone in the large room to hear, making them look up and stare at the commotion. "Boss of the year, you are!"

Bickslow slammed the door with a loud sigh, turning to rest his back against the door as he slid down to the ground with his hands hanging over his knees while he tipped his head back, hitting the door as he closed his eyes. Veronica had gone and made everything worse, all because of what? Because she was jealous? Maybe a little. Because she was young and stupid? Yeah, probably. Regardless of the reason, it had just made his life all the more complicated because now _everyone_ was going to find out what a dick his other self was.

Wiping her hand across her cheek, Lucy got up from the chair and quietly walked over to the door, sliding down beside Bickslow to rest her head on his shoulder. As much as it hurt, she needed to be close to Bickslow. She needed him to make her feel better; she needed to be in contact with him, as weird as it was to admit it to herself.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," she whispered, and really, she didn't think Bickslow had anything to be sorry for. His other self, maybe, but not _him_.

"No, I do," Bickslow said, tipping his head forward again to look down at his hands as he held them up slightly. "I'm sorry you got brought into that and I'm sorry that you're in pain because of it all, I really am."

"Bicks—"

"No, Lucy. I need to say this because it's the reason I came home this morning in the first place," he continued, glancing down when she nodded against his shoulder. "First off, I need to apologise for a lot of the things I said this morning. I was just irritated and blurted out things I didn't mean, so I'm sorry for that."

"I… I said some things I didn't mean to as well," Lucy murmured as she sat up slightly, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth as she turned to Bickslow, "I just… It's hard, and you know that, but I still wish I hadn't really said any of it…"

"It's fine. You had a good reason to say it, so I don't care, but… aren't you just making things worse for yourself by being here? Near me?" he asked quietly, looking down. It wasn't that he was complaining about her wanting to be there – the opposite, really – but it was that he didn't know _why_ she was there. That same morning, she'd stood in front of him and said that it hurt her to be around him.

He just didn't understand how so much could have changed in just a few hours.

And sure, they'd found out she was pregnant in those few hours, but… Bickslow didn't see how that could cause her to completely forget about the fact that he had literally broken her heart into smithereens, most likely. You don't just get over that with a snap of your fingers.

Lucy smiled weakly, and even though it was small, it was enough to make Bickslow's heart feel like it was melting – and _wow_ , was that new. "Not really," she said as she looked down, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "I'm not going to lie and say that my heart isn't in a million pieces right now, because it is." And just from actually hearing her say what he already knew, it made Bickslow feel all the more guilty. "But that's not your fault—"

"It kinda is," he mumbled.

"No, it isn't," Lucy said as she shifted to sit on her knees to face Bickslow again. " _You_ didn't do anything, and right now, _you_ are all that's keeping me together. It's not your fault that I got hurt in the first place, and it's not mine either, but there's nothing we can do about that, alright?"

"But still… You shouldn't have to feel that way at all, and I want to take the blame for it. I _need_ to take the blame for it because I hate myself just as much as I hate seeing you like this." He looked back down to his hands as he began to idly twist the ring on his finger.

Almost without thinking, Lucy leant forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder again as he tensed up at the unexpected contact.

"Bicks, please don't hate yourself," she whispered. "You can't hate yourself for something you didn't do. Feel free to hate your other self though," she said, a quiet giggle slipping past her lips.

"Trust me, I do." Even Bickslow found himself smiling for a second. "But that was the second thing I needed to apologise for. I need to say sorry on _behalf_ of that dickhead. I just don't understand why he'd do something so… _stupid_. I just don't see how he could even think about hurting you like that, not when he's supposed to love you."

"Well, on behalf of the other Lucy, and a little bit of myself too because this sucks," she said with her own smile, "I say the other Bickslow can go to hell."

"So do I," Bickslow agreed with a quiet chuckle, then, he pulled the ring off his finger as Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Fuck it. I'm not wearing this anymore. I'm not that moron. I know what to hold on to and not let go of, _ever_ , or do something stupid to fuck it up. I'm not him." And he tossed it towards the other side of the room then, watching as it landed on the ground and rolled towards the window before toppling over.

"I know you're not, Bicks," Lucy whispered, shifting slightly when his arm moved to wrap around her waist. "And that's exactly why I can be around you, because I…" She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth again, "I know you wouldn't do something like that."

"Damn right, I wouldn't," Bickslow mumbled, pulling her even closer as he tilted his head to rest his cheek on top of her head. "I'd never let go of you if I had you." And it was the truth. Lucy – and Ingrid, for that matter – was one person he would never let go of if he'd had that life. Hell, he didn't even want to let go of her then and he didn't even have her.

…But that wasn't to say he didn't want her, because he did, a little bit.

A blush crept across her cheeks again and the corners of her mouth lifted up into a small smile. "So don't let go of me now then," she whispered. "You really are all that's keeping me together right now. I don't know why… Or how… But _you_ make me feel better. _You_ make the pain just a little more bearable and I need that. I need you to stay, to help me get through everything, especially now… I need _you_ …"

He could feel his heart begin to race as her words trailed off into silence, and almost instantly, he shifted so he had both his arms wrapped around her, pulling her in and holding her as close as humanly possible as she buried her head against his chest again.

 _She needs me_.

Over and over again, that's all he could hear in his head, and god, did it make him feel just a little bit better. Bickslow knew Lucy was usually not the type of person to admit to needing something – to needing _someone_. She was far too stubborn and strong-willed; hell, she was just strong in general, and he'd told her that before.

But she'd admitted to needing him. _Him_ , of all people.

Bickslow wasn't going to let her go, ever. Not when she needed him; needed him to help her put herself back together, to go back to the once cheerful blonde that everyone loved.

He could do that. He _would_ do that, because he'd already decided that he would do whatever it would take to make her get better, to make everything okay again.

"I'm not going anywhere and I'm not going to let you go," Bickslow whispered finally, closing his eyes and just enjoying the feel of her wrapped in his arms.


	16. Chapter 16

Lucy let out a barely audible sigh as she shifted slightly, letting her head rest on Bickslow's shoulder as she sat in his lap at his desk. Her legs were hanging over one of the armrests and her back was leaning against his arm as it came around her to reach the desk.

Neither really questioned how weird it was – Bickslow didn't mind having Lucy sit in his lap, even if it was a bit annoying when she shifted occasionally. But for the most part, it was okay, and Lucy just needed to be close to him because the closer she was, the more she felt like everything would be fine and that the world hadn't just completely turned upside down again.

She turned her head on his shoulder slightly, only enough to look down at the laptop sitting on the desk as he typed up something, his fingers brushing over each key quickly before he stopped to turn a page in the stack of papers just next to the laptop. He did so effortlessly, and it reminded Lucy of the way his fingers slid over each key when playing piano, and even though she'd only seen it once, it had been strangely therapeutic the way he did so.

"What is it you do here exactly?" Lucy asked quietly, narrowing her eyes slightly to try and focus on the all too small words on the screen that was just a bit too far away for her to make out clearly.

"Honestly, I'm not too sure," Bickslow mumbled as the corner of his mouth curled up into a small smirk as he reached out to the turn another page. "I just do what I get told to at meetings."

"And that is…?"

"Usually it involves making sure Laxus knows what he can and can't do in terms of running the company. Natsu and Gray do the same for Erza, apparently."

"So you're kinda like Laxus' second in command?"

Bickslow chuckled as he turned another page, skimming over the words before turning back to face the screen before him. "Yeah, pretty much." He glanced down to his watch once again, he suddenly slammed the laptop shut and closed the binder. "Shit, I have another meeting."

Lucy sighed again as she climbed off of him, moving to stand by the edge of the desk as he shot up and moved around the other side to grab his jacket from the back of the armchair.

"Is it going to take long?" Lucy asked as she moved to sit back down in his chair, bringing her leg up to rest her chin against her knee once again.

"I'll be out by five thirty at the latest," he said, shrugging his jacket on and fixing the collar. "Oh, almost forgot." When Lucy raised an eyebrow, he walked back around the desk, his long strides making it possible in just a few steps. "This is what I wanted to show you," he said with a grin as he pulled one of the drawers on his desk open and lifted out a book and handed it to her.

She stared at the book in her hand in disbelief, her eyes narrowing slightly and her brow furrowing in her confusion. The light blue cover with the white embossed text and the silhouette of the fairy figure that was a part of their guild's welcome sign on their front gates.

 _Fantasia, by Lucy Heartfilia-Theroux._

"I'm an actual, published, author?" she whispered, looking up to see Bickslow with a wide grin as he walked backwards towards his office door.

"Apparently," he said, his hand on the door handle as it pulled it open. "I thought it might help you take your mind off things or something." Because god knows that she really needed that.

"Yeah, maybe…"

"Anyway, I've gotta go. I'll try and get out as soon as I can so then we can go home, alright?"

So when Lucy nodded, shifting so she had her legs bent under her on the chair as she leant her elbow on the armrest with the book already open in her lap, Bickslow finally left his office and closed the door behind him.

His short walk across the room and towards the elevators was uncomfortable, yet again. Every time he left his office to head to another meeting ever since Veronica's outburst, he had almost every single person's eyes on him. Hell, it had already spread around half the building because he'd already had a few emails from people that apparently worked on other floors.

The few people that actually had the courage to ask him straight out if he'd had an affair, he had to fight the urge to just shout ' _no_ ,' because really, it was true, and saying no would be lying. It wasn't him that had had an affair, but to everyone else who actually belonged in that world, it _was_ him.

But of course, if he just scowled at them, people usually got the message and walked away, and sure, they usually went to gossip about it, taking his silence as a confirmation of his so-called infidelity, but there was nothing he could do about that now. Bickslow honestly didn't give a damn about what the people he worked with thought of him either, because it was really was none of their business what he did in his private life – or his counterpart's private life, as it turns out.

He only cared about what Lucy thought of him.

* * *

Bickslow leant against the doorframe with his arms folded, watching where Lucy laid on the bed, curled up under the heavy blankets as she silently read the book, the only sound in the room being the turning of pages.

Bickslow was worried about her. She'd barely moved since they'd gotten home, only having a shower before she retreated to the bed. She'd immersed herself in the book, and honestly, Bickslow couldn't blame her. After all, it was about _them_ , starting from the unfortunate circumstances under which they'd first met. He'd figured that much out from what he'd read of it, but… He'd stopped once his ' _character'_ got called an _'idiotic womanising ass.'_ Sure, it was true, but there was a part of him that didn't want to know just what else was said about him in the story.

But the book was irrelevant. He was just worried about Lucy.

"You need to eat something," he said.

Lucy sighed as she turned the page again. "Not hungry."

"You haven't eaten anything since this morning," he argued.

"So?"

"So I'm worried about you."

"I know you are," she sighed, turning her head on her pillow to look towards the door. "But I just don't feel like eating all that much right now."

Lucy really did know Bickslow was worrying about her. He'd been there for her all afternoon and she couldn't be more thankful for it, especially when she knew that he too was hurting but he was putting aside everything for her. As much as Lucy wanted to help Bickslow with what he was going through with everything, she really had no idea where to begin when it came to helping him. Hell, she didn't even know if he wanted her to help him, but Lucy liked to think he did.

But Bickslow really wasn't as bad as Lucy thought he was. Sure, he'd let a few things slip while they'd still been in his office about how he was feeling guilty and pretty damn terrible over everything his other self had done, especially because the Lucy he knew was the one who got hurt by it all, but Bickslow was surprisingly okay with it. Well, maybe ' _okay'_ wasn't the best way to describe how he was feeling, but Bickslow knew that there was really nothing he could do about what he was feeling. He wasn't the one who was guilty of anything, but he was the one who got stuck with the guilt, just like Lucy got stuck with the pain and the broken heart. It wasn't fair, but they had no choice in it.

The only reason he wasn't completely losing his mind and going on a rampage was because Lucy knew he wouldn't have done something like that. The fact that Lucy was even able to be around him at all was making what he felt just a little bit more bearable. She needed him, he knew that, and because of that, he was able to put aside what he felt, because if he made sure Lucy was fine first, then he knew that his own problems would get better.

So with a sigh, Bickslow turned and pushed himself off from where he leant against the doorframe, leaving Lucy to return to her book once again; partly because he knew the conversation was over, and partly because he needed to give Ingrid a bath and get her ready for bed. From what Gajeel and Levy had said about her while they'd looked after her for the afternoon, Bickslow thought it was a miracle she wasn't screaming her head off – apparently she'd been more than a little fussy with Gajeel and Levy, and Bickslow had originally just put it down to them not knowing what Ingrid does and doesn't like, but he realised it wasn't that at all. He didn't know what kind of schedule they had in the five months of her life they'd missed, so to speak, but Bickslow felt it was that Ingrid missed them being around her all day, and more importantly, she was missing Lucy.

Since they'd been home that evening, Bickslow hadn't been able to leave her side – whether she be in her crib or high-chair, just because he needed to leave her where he knew she'd be safe while he went to check on Lucy for a minute or so – without her starting to cry, should he leave her for more than a few minutes at a time. Sure, Bickslow had been able to calm her down once he'd picked her up or at least walked back into the room, but he knew that he wasn't enough. Ingrid wanted Lucy, just because there was that bond that Bickslow knew didn't even compare to the one that he shared with Ingrid. It was because Lucy was her mother, but Lucy really had immersed herself into the world of the book, and it meant that she hadn't seen Ingrid since mid-morning.

And there was a reason Lucy had been so engrossed with the book, and it wasn't just because she'd been the one to write it; it was because it was about the world they'd come from.

It was their life. It was _her_ life.

She'd loved reading her entire life, just because she'd grown up alone. She hadn't had friends her own age, so she'd really just had her family (and that was stretching it), the people who worked in her house, and her spirits. When she read, she could submerge herself in that world and pretend it was her life, even if it was just temporary. She could pretend that she was going on all of these epic adventures, finding true love, or generally just being the hero of the story, because when she was young, she really did wish she could live in the books she read.

And it was part of the reason she'd always wanted to become an author; she wanted to create her own world with her own characters, and maybe, just maybe, a child who had a similar life would find solace in her stories and pretend that it was their own life to escape from their own reality.

But this book – the one she hadn't been able to put down… It was something else. It was about her life. It was the life she'd been plucked from and even if it was just temporary, she could pretend she was back there in her own world in the right time and she had her spirits with her. No Bickslow, no Ingrid, no baby.

Well, that's what she'd thought when she'd first started reading it, but that had soon changed. It wasn't just her life, because it was Bickslow's life too. It was how they'd met, way back when Laxus and the Raijinshuu had planned on taking the guild. Sure, the names of the characters and a few of the details were different, but she'd lived it; they were her own memories, if anything, and she could recognise it all.

But the more she read, the more she got pulled in. She wanted to know how it ended, because she knew that it wasn't going to end like things actually did. She was curious, because from what she'd read in the couple of hours she'd had the book, she realised that it wasn't just about two people who met under some pretty terrible circumstances and how they went about their separate lives (which was what had actually happened), but it was how they came together after all of it.

It was a love story. It was _her_ love story, and hell, Lucy really wanted to know if her character ended up getting the guy in the end, and if the guy got the girl. It certainly aided her curiosity that the guy just happened to be Bickslow.

When Bickslow came into the room again not too long after, holding Ingrid in one arm, she turned her head on the pillow, watching as he actually moved into the room and over to the bed instead of standing in the doorframe like he had been every other time.

"Alright, come on." He pulled the covers back swiftly. "Up."

"Bickslow, please—"

When Lucy made a grab for the blankets once again, he reached over and pushed them out of her reach again, never losing his hold in Ingrid as he did so. "No, come on. Get up."

"But I don't want to," she groaned, pushing herself up into a sitting position as she grabbed the bookmark and marked her spot. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to help you, and I know that that book isn't going to make things any better—"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You've read it?" Suddenly, she was worried about what Bickslow would have thought if he knew what kind of story it was. _It's just a book, there's nothing to worry about._

The corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smirk as his other arm went around Ingrid, lifting her up slightly on his side. "I read the first chapter or so. Kinda lost interest in it when my character got called an idio—"

"… _'Idiotic womanising ass,'_ " Lucy mumbled, "Yeah, I remember that part…" And even though she'd kind of been the one to write the words, she hadn't thought that about Bickslow. Not once. Well, not to that extreme, at least.

"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat as he moved Ingrid to the one arm again before holding his other hand out towards Lucy. "Come on, please. Don't make me drag you."

So after a moment's thought, Lucy hesitantly took his hand and let her pull her up from the bed as she adjusted her singlet accordingly since it had ridden up slightly while in bed. She would have worn something a lot looser, had she actually done the washing that she'd been putting off during the week. Lucy had become painfully aware of the fact that her stomach was most definitely not the same as it had been a month earlier, and sure, she'd kind of noticed it earlier, but she assumed she was just putting on weight because she wasn't exactly eating the best foods (they tended to order take-out a lot) or exercising as much as she'd liked to. But no, Lucy was painfully aware that that was not the case, and she was feeling incredibly self-conscious about it.

Even though there was still a tiny part of her that was in denial about being pregnant, she realised that she most definitely was showing, and through all of her confusion and stress and anxiety and _everything_ , she was acutely aware of the fact that she couldn't really be that far along, but she already had a noticeable, yet tiny, little bump (compared to her usually somewhat toned stomach in that world and body). She'd made a mental note to do some research into that, but that was not a task for that night.

"Okay, sit," Bickslow said as he led her over to the lounge. When she sat down with a huff, still confused about what it was she was even supposed to be doing out there, he handed her Ingrid. "Hold."

He'd seen the hesitation cross her features for the briefest of moments and it really worried him. In the time they'd been there, Lucy had never once acted like that. Bickslow had an inkling as to why, and sure, it made sense, but it hurt him to see it anyway.

But it wasn't really just about what Lucy wanted and felt, because Ingrid needed her mother, and that was Lucy. Their child, or _children_ , as it seems, were the priority. They were parents and that meant they were supposed to do whatever it took to make sure they were happy, and for Ingrid, that just meant being close to Lucy.

So as Bickslow disappeared down the hall, presumably to get changed since his shirt sleeves that had been rolled up and the front of his shirt were soaking wet (most likely from giving Ingrid a bath, and boy, did she like to splash occasionally), Lucy finally pulled Ingrid in against her chest, and as soon as she did, she felt tears prick her eyes. She'd been more than happy to palm Ingrid off to others for the day just so she could ignore her own problems and she knew it was wrong of her to do that. In the month they'd been there, it was the longest Lucy had gone without being around Ingrid, and as soon as she felt the tiny human trying to grasp at her shirt and rest her head on her shoulder, she realised she'd missed her; she'd missed her daughter.

She'd grown so attached to Ingrid that just a day without her in her arms instantly made her just a little bit happier right then, and a warmth spread throughout her. Through all of the pain, confusion, and heartbreak, Lucy was happy to just hold her daughter close to her, because god, had she missed that all afternoon without even realising it.

When Bickslow came back into the room, flopping down in the corner of the lounge and putting his feet up on the cushions like he usually did, he couldn't help but smile softly at Lucy and Ingrid, and that was just because Lucy was smiling down at Ingrid as she stroked over her light blonde hair. Bickslow had figured it would be good for Ingrid, but he'd never expected it to be good for Lucy.

But hey, he wasn't going to complain. If they needed to be around each other, then so be it.

When Bickslow began to scroll through the movie and T.V series choices on the T.V, Lucy looked towards Bickslow. "So I take it this was why you wanted me to get up?"

"Yup," he said, scrolling through the list of movies that actually sounded half decent. "Thought it might help take your mind off things. So, what do you want to watch?"

Lucy stared at the screen for a moment, watching the covers for each movie change as he read over them. It wasn't like sitting down and watching a movie was out of the ordinary for them, because they actually did it quite often towards the end of the week. Though, they usually did end up watching what Lucy wanted and that was usually some sappy romance that had Bickslow cringing.

But even if it was just a simple thing – deciding whether to watch a movie or not – she still didn't know if she was actually up for it, which was silly.

So instead, she got up slowly, keeping Ingrid against her chest, and walked around the lounge to the hall. "Ingrid needs to go to bed," she said softly. Lucy knew Bickslow was watching her as she disappeared out of the room, and she knew it was because she'd avoided the unasked question of whether she was staying out there or going back to the bed. She just really didn't know, even though it was so ridiculously simple and wasn't something people tyically needed to think about.

But once she'd gotten Ingrid in her crib after having gone through their nightly ritual of reading for a bit and a goodnight kiss, Lucy stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the blanket and sheet that had been tossed to one side and the book that sat on the pillow. It was really whether she wanted to ignore her problems and life for the rest of the night, pretend she was back in her own world and make herself feel even worse, or spend time with an actual human that actually exists.

And once she'd thought about it that way, it really was the simplest decision. Even it was only temporary, submersing herself within the book was not going to be helping her at all, since it really was just going to make her miss that world and life even more, even if it was straying from the truth she knew and the way it had actually happened. Now, it wasn't like Bickslow was trying to force her to face any of their newfound problems head-on. He was just trying to help her and he was giving her something to do that would help her take her mind off everything without _completely_ ignoring it.

After a while, Bickslow was convinced Lucy wasn't coming back out, and he was a little disappointed that she wasn't because he knew what she was doing with the book, and he didn't want her to do that. But on the other hand, he thought it was maybe his fault; maybe she just really didn't want to be around him then. Maybe she just really would prefer to be alone for the rest of the night.

But then she came back out, dragging the blanket from their bed with her and Bickslow really was a little shocked, but he smiled. "I didn't think you were coming back," he said as she sat down on the lounge next to him, tucking her feet under her as she threw the blanket over the top of both of them.

"Honestly, neither did I," she said as she pulled the blanket up to her chin with a small smile. "What are we watching?"

"Whatever you want to watch."

"But you hate whatever I choose."

"Okay, I don't _hate_ them," Though he really did hate them, because they were _chick flicks,_ or something like that, but he could put up with them. "I just don't particularly enjoy watching them… But, I can compromise."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "A compromise? Should prove to be interesting…"

"If you really want to watch one of your weird romance movies, at least choose a _romantic comedy_ ," Bickslow said as he handed her the remote, letting Lucy search through the movies. Besides, a comedy might actually cheer her up. Maybe.

So as Lucy made to scroll through the movies slowly, reading each summary carefully, Bickslow got up from the lounge and walked over to the freezer to pull out the tub of ice-cream and a spoon from a drawer.

"What about this one?" Lucy asked as Bickslow climbed over the backrest again, sitting back down and pulling the blanket up over his legs again. "A baby's parents die in a crash and the new legal guardians basically hate each other."

Shrugging, Bickslow pulled the lid off the tub and threw it to the coffee table. "Basically the story of our life, so sure," he said. And really, it basically was their life. You know, without the actual parents dying, and without the romance, because their life was void of all romance. Almost disappointingly void, if Bickslow thought about it too much. "Now, are you _sure_ you don't want to eat anything?"

"I just don't feel like anything," she said, eyeing the ice-cream from the corner of her eye as he shoved the spoon in his mouth, getting rid of the smirk temporarily. _Damn it, it's strawberry too._ "But I don't think ice-cream is the best thing to be having for dinner."

"I've had worse."

But it was only twenty minutes into the movie that Lucy caved, lifting her head from where it rested on Bickslow's shoulder and letting the blanket pool around her waist, and she reached for the ice cream. "Alright, give me that," she mumbled, and in Bickslow's surprise, it was quite easy to take the container from his hands.

"Uh… Do you want me to get you another sp—"

"Bicks, I don't care if this has been in your mouth," she interrupted before getting a small spoonful of the ice-cream as Bickslow raised an eyebrow. "You basically slobbered on my face for whatever reason on the first day here. And, you kind of knocked me up _twice_ , so I'm a little beyond caring about a spoon right now."

And there was a moment of silence that followed where Bickslow could only stare at Lucy, trying to figure out just what in the hell was going on. Slowly, his mouth curled up into a wide grin as Lucy's face darkened with her blush, slowly lowering the spoon to the container. "Did you really just say that?" he asked.

"Yeah…" And then, when she started laughing at herself, quietly at first, Bickslow couldn't hold back his own laughter any longer and was soon laughing along with her – and _at_ her. Lucy honestly didn't know why she found it so funny – enough to have her wiping under her eyes from laughing so much, anyway – but she did. She hadn't even really thought about what she was saying until after the words had left her mouth, but once she had and she'd let the words sink in, she realised that it was the first time she'd really acknowledged the fact she was pregnant. Verbally, at least. And sure, it hadn't even been a day, but that tiny part of her that was still in denial had grown smaller.

But hell, her emotions were all over the place that day alone and in that moment, she just really didn't care anymore.

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered open slowly, wincing at the harsh light streaming into the room from the completely open curtains in the living room. The T.V was still on with the movie selection screen, and the remote and empty ice-cream tub sat on the coffee table.

The more she woke up and got her bearings, the more she became of aware of just where she was sleeping, and that just happened to be on the lounge with Bickslow right behind her, and Lucy had vaguely become aware of something pressing against her ass – something _hard_ – and her face promptly turned bright red. Lucy was a little ashamed to admit that she'd woken up in similar circumstances with Natsu before (though, he was always equally as ashamed once he realised), and they'd all ended with the pink-haired idiot getting thrown out of her apartment or Lucy running to the bathroom to hide and calm herself down. So really, that was all that kept her from freaking out in that moment, because she was kinda used to it.

She tried to pry herself away from Bickslow, except when she tried to lift the arm that had come to be draped over her loosely, she only got pulled back in tighter. "Too early," he slurred, still, for the most part, asleep.

"No, it's not," she said, and when she tried to lift his arm again to get up, Bickslow promptly pulled the blanket up higher over both of their heads, effectively blocking out the sun. "Bicks, stop it," she giggled.

And in his sleep-ridden state, a small smile played on his lips. _Wouldn't mind waking up to that sound again_ , he thought.

"Ingrid will be up soon…" Lucy said quietly, turning her head over her shoulder slightly when she pushed the blanket back once again. "And… You kind of have a... small—okay well, _small_ isn't—"

But before Lucy could even finish her sentence of pointing out the obvious _problem_ to Bickslow who either didn't care or didn't realise (in Lucy's opinion, anyway), Bickslow was suddenly awake enough to realise that there was another part of his anatomy that was also awake and as soon as he'd lifted his arm and sat up on the lounge, pulling the pillow with him before shoving it down over his lap, Lucy finally pushed herself to a standing position before she completely fell from the lounge.

 _No, no, no. This isn't happening right now. Oh god. No._ "I am so… _So_ … Sorry…" he mumbled, one hand running through his dishevelled hair while he kept the pillow firmly against his crotch with his other hand.

And just at the sight of Bickslow with a face redder than her own and incredibly embarrassed, Lucy couldn't help but laugh. She knew it wasn't something she should be laughing about – hell, she should be freaking out – but she was.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Bickslow asked, turning his head to look over his shoulder as Lucy walked over to the kitchen to clean out the ice-cream tub in the sink. Because really, her laughing was not something he expected to happen – at all.

"Because your face was priceless. I don't think I've ever seen you so embarrassed," she choked out, and when Bickslow narrowed his eyes at her, she felt the heat return to her own cheeks again. "Jeez, just calm down already. I don't even care. You have no idea—" But she couldn't even finish her sentence before a wave of nausea washed over her and as her hand went to her mouth, she found herself wondering if it was worth running all the way down the hall and to their bathroom, or to just go straight to the laundry and the sink. But it was a short argument with herself, because the laundry sink was so much closer.

So as Lucy ran into the laundry and slammed the door, it gave Bickslow a chance to get up and make his way towards the actual bathroom where a cold shower awaited him. He was so far past embarrassed… He was beginning to think that he was actually mortified at what had happened. As soon as he was beginning to get closer to Lucy (under some pretty terrible circumstances, he had to admit), he had to go and fuck it up.

But he didn't really want to think about it much, because if he thought about it, he was going to get even more confused about the fact that Lucy hadn't kicked him out the window or screamed at him, or ran down the hall screaming, or something. She should have been freaking out, like a sane person would. Because you know, they weren't together. That's usually not something someone likes waking up to.

Hell, he was still a little confused as to how they'd started their day with an argument and ended it falling asleep together on the lounge. But he was just going to try and put it all to the back of his mind and try and get through his day without turning bright red whenever he even looked at her now.

Bickslow only suspected it would be a long day.


	17. Chapter 17

Lucy had a small smile on her face as she sat in the corner of the lounge, her feet tucked under her with a small pillow and her book on her lap. She'd spent most of the weekend reading, and by Sunday afternoon, she only had a few more chapters to go, and more than anything, she just really wanted to see how it ended.

The closer she got to the end, the more she saw Bickslow in a different light, so when she glanced up from the book again, she couldn't tell if she was smiling from the damn book or if it was because Bickslow was lying on the living room floor with Ingrid. It was their playtime, and Lucy knew Bickslow had come to love that time, and so did Lucy because it was actually pretty entertaining.

Bickslow placed the last of his soulless dolls on the small tower he'd been forming. "…And now Pippi." Then, when Ingrid was watching his hand as it slowly inched towards the bottom doll, with a wide grin he pushed it out and they all toppled over to the ground. "Oh no, Ingrid! They've fallen over! What are we going to do now?"

They'd taken to doing that multiple times during the day, because for whatever reason, Ingrid squealed when they toppled over and then once they did, Ingrid was free to take one and put the small wings that sat on each side in her mouth. That was the part that Lucy found entertaining.

So as Bickslow pushed one forward so it was just within Ingrid's reach from where she was sitting up, surrounded by pillows and swaying slightly, she stretched her little arm and pulled it towards her.

"I really don't think the babies would like you very much if they had their souls still," he said, inching forward on his stomach and leaning on his elbows as he started stacking the other four dolls off to the side and out of his way as he propped his head up in a hand.

"Okay, so… Hypothetical situation," Lucy said quietly as she closed the book over her hand, keeping her place as she watched Ingrid. "If we were back in our own world, and Ingrid existed in that world…"

Bickslow raised an eyebrow, his eyes flicking up to the lounge as the corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smirk. "So basically, if we actually had a kid in our own world?" he surmised.

"Hypothetically, yes," she said, blushing slightly from the insinuated possible relationship between them in their home world. Although, she did have to admit that the book she'd written (well, her counterpart had written) was making it hard not to even consider that possibility. Sort of. "What kind of magic do you think Ingrid would use?"

"Seith," he replied quickly as Lucy raised her own eyebrows in surprise.

"Why do you sound so sure?"

"Because I am sure," he said, gently prying the doll from her hands and pushing one of the others forward so she could try and reach for it. "Because Ingrid has my eyes, which means she'd be an awesome Seith mage like I am… Well, was, I guess." Then, when Ingrid starting smiling at the new doll to play with and squealing in her apparent joy, Bickslow's grin returned when his focus returned to Ingrid once again. "But the babies really wouldn't like you if you kept trying to eat them, so you'd have to get your own babies…"

And Lucy watched as his face dropped, and she didn't quite understand why until he corrected himself after a moment of silence.

" _Souls_ ," he said when an extremely overprotective part of him emerged. "You'd have to get your own _souls_ and your own dolls and they would _not_ be called _babies_ under any circumstances." Because there was no way in hell he'd let his daughter call her own immortal troupe of dolls babies like he did. No way in hell.

Anything but babies he'd be okay with. Well, anything that had no relation to kids in general, actually.

With a sigh, he dropped his head to the ground and stretched his arms about before him, avoiding the toys and pillows scattered around the area. In a month, he'd grown so attached to Ingrid and Bickslow realised he probably cared about her too damn much, but he'd also given up on trying to deny the fact he cared too much, because hell, he was gonna love the kid just _because_ she _was_ his kid.

It just meant that there was a part of him that really wanted her to stay tiny forever and not grow up because Bickslow knew he was not going to be the kind of father to just sit back and not care. No, he was going to be to be way too overprotective, he already knew that. And the fact he was going to be that kind of father was most definitely influenced by the fact Ingrid would be growing up in a world that he himself would still be learning about.

But hell, he really had to stop thinking so far ahead and making himself begin to worry because Ingrid was really only six months old, so he had plenty of time to worry about the future.

Plenty of time.

When Lucy started laughing quietly, Bickslow turned his head to the side before sitting up to lean on his elbows again. "…And you've fallen over too," he sighed, pulling himself forward to lean over Ingrid slightly. "Don't worry, you'll eventually be able to sit _all_ day if you really want to."

Both Bickslow and Lucy had to admit it had been fun watching Ingrid grow, even if it was just a month – so far. Each day, she was getting better at things. When they'd first found themselves in their new world, Ingrid had only been able to sit up if she had a whole bunch of pillows behind her or had someone holding her up. She'd occasionally be rolling over and would put absolutely _everything_ she touched in her mouth, or attempt to. Sure, she still did that, but not as much. But in a month, she'd developed enough to be able to sit up for shorter periods before toppling over, she liked to roll around – a lot, at that – and if she really wanted to try and reach for something, she would pull herself forward just a tiny bit. And honestly, it made both Bickslow and Lucy incredibly happy to see her develop.

Lucy looked up from her book again at the sound of Ingrid's squealing and laughter and a wide grin slowly split her face. Bickslow liked to _attack_ Ingrid with kisses, and honestly, Lucy didn't know who enjoyed it more – Bickslow or Ingrid.

It was always one cheek, and then Ingrid would turn her head, and then when Bickslow sat up, Ingrid would look up again, and then it would be the other cheek and she'd squeal all over again, and then it would get repeated over and over again. Each sound he made with each incredibly short kiss had Ingrid smiling, and Lucy couldn't help but smile at that. And neither could Bickslow, because by that point, he pretty much lived to make his daughter smile.

"What about your nose now?" Bickslow said, his own grin disappearing as he briefly kissed Ingrid's own tiny nose. Ingrid stared up at him for a moment, because it was something new. He'd changed it up, and it had her confused. But even her confusion was adorable, and it had Bickslow going back to her cheek to shower it with kisses that had her giggling again.

But suddenly, Lucy felt the tears sting her eyes and she didn't entirely know why. Sure, watching Bickslow play with Ingrid was strangely cute and made her feel like her heart was actually melting, and sure, she was beginning to see the man in a different way thanks to the goddamn book, but it was nothing to cry over.

Oh, right – she's an emotional mess at the drop of a hat now.

And honestly, it was beginning to irritate her. She could go from one extreme to the other in a matter of minutes, and that wasn't really a mood swing. Not in Lucy's opinion, anyway.

Bickslow looked up to see Lucy wipe her eyes as she looked down at her book as he left his face next to Ingrid's. "Are you crying?" he asked, the corner of his mouth lifting up into a smirk against Ingrid's cheek.

"N-No," she mumbled, frantically wiping her own cheeks. _Damn it._ "Maybe, b-but I c-can't help it." And really, she couldn't help it.

"Oh, Ingrid," he sighed, "What are we gonna do now? How are we going to get Cosplayer to stop crying?" Taking her squealing and slight babbling as an actual answer (though, it was most likely from the fact he never stopped with his kisses), Bickslow lifted his gaze again with another mischievous smirk as a somewhat (probably completely) terrible idea crossed his mind. "I think you might be onto something, Ingrid. I think she might be jealous."

Something that resembled a watery laugh escaped as Lucy finally marked her page with her bookmark and placed it down on the lounge. "Yeah, sure I am."

And briefly, Bickslow wondered if should even act on what he was now convinced was a terrible idea, because honestly, it would really be pushing her boundaries, but hell… Those boundaries had slowly been crumbling over the weekend.

Slowly.

So pushing himself up from the ground, he stepped around Ingrid and the pillows near her to kneel with one leg on the lounge next to Lucy with a grin. When she realised just what he was doing as he slowly leant over her, her hands went out to push on his chest, but he was a lot stronger than her and soon had her leaning sideways and pinned down to the lounge.

"Oh, you are _so_ jealous," he murmured before leaning down and he kissed Lucy's cheek like he did with Ingrid when Lucy almost instinctively turned her head to side – something she came to regret since it worked with his plan.

"Bicks," she giggled, squirming under him as she tried to push back on his chest again, but failed, dismally. "Stop it." But there was a part of her that didn't actually mean it – for whatever reason, because honestly, she didn't know why that part of her existed – and Bickslow knew that, because soon, she was almost howling with laughter as she continued to squirm.

And the more she laughed, the more he pushed the limits only because he didn't just like making Ingrid smile; he liked making Lucy smile and if she was laughing then it was all the better. When her face was red enough – a mix of embarrassment and from laughing too much – he sat up, but before she could move out from under him he'd gone straight for her middle instead and began tickling her. And really, it was a bit of an experiment because he didn't actually know if she was ticklish or not, but when she started squirming and trying to roll away from the torture he was inflicting, his grin got wider and he began to chuckle along with her laughter that only grew louder.

"Other side now," he said as he dove down, instantly nosing his way into the gap between her face and the lounge cushion, and of course, her only reaction was to turn her head the other way to try and get away from it, but it only opened her up more.

Continuing to laugh almost right in his ear as she tried to swat his hands away from her sides, she managed to eventually choke out breathlessly, "Bicks, I'm not… Ingrid…" But there was still a part of her that didn't want him to stop, and Lucy was aware that no matter what she said, he wasn't going to stop.

And she was okay with that. Sort of.

"But it's playtime," he murmured, moving over to the other side of her face again.

"Yeah, for _Ingrid_."

He sat up slightly, giving her a reprieve and leaving her panting slightly below him, which, under normal circumstance would probably have his mind running wild as to why she was panting below him (let's face it, it'd be an answer he loved because it would _hopefully_ involve him in some way), but no, it was Lucy. He'd stopped his mind from getting _too_ wild.

"This is _my_ playtime," he said innocently.

And then he leant back over her, tickling her again as he went back to attacking her cheeks with kisses, and honestly, Bickslow was trying his hardest to not kiss her properly, because god did he want to, and there'd been a part of him that had wanted to for weeks.

But he was going to behave.

Then, he stopped, and with his lips still flush against her cheek and his eyes pointed towards Ingrid on the ground, he murmured, "Ingrid watches you when you laugh." And she really did, because the nearly six-month old baby they called their daughter was lying just by the lounge, propping herself up slightly on her tummy and arms and looking up at Lucy. Bickslow had noticed what Ingrid did whenever Lucy laughed and he found it kind of interesting.

She would watch her, whether Lucy knew it or not, and she'd smile. She wouldn't laugh along with her like Bickslow did (because it was kinda contagious when Lucy laughed), but she'd smile and she'd squeal occasionally, but that wasn't that out of the ordinary for Ingrid because she was almost always squealing with joy or smiling at something or either Bickslow or Lucy. She was just a happy baby, it seemed.

But when Lucy laughed, she got just a little bit happier, according to Bickslow, and he really did love that. Lucy was just the kind of person who could make someone happy just by being happy herself.

So when Lucy's laughter fizzled, silently getting her breath back as she watched Ingrid return to her own devices, moving to pick up one of the totems again and examine it carefully, she realised she was smiling as she watched. Just watching Ingrid was enough to make her smile at that point, and really, she didn't care, because Ingrid being happy was a reason to smile.

When Bickslow turned his head slightly, his hair brushed against her face and she giggled again as she pushed his head away with her hand.

"Are you done now?" she asked, turning her head as much as she could.

"Depends," he mumbled as he moved his hands up, leaving her sides to rest on either side of her face instead. "Are you you going to cry again?"

"No."

"In that case," he said with another grin before leaning down again, and pressed a light kiss to her cheek that was different from the ones that had her howling with laughter. No, it was simple, but it had her blushing either way just because it _was_ different. "I'm done."

So as Bickslow went back to floor, lying on his stomach just in front of Ingrid with a smirk in place as he stacked up his babies again to let Ingrid push them over, Lucy got up from the lounge and disappeared down the hall with her book, still blushing profusely. She cursed herself in her head when she thought about just how much she'd enjoyed their little… moment. In just a few short days, she'd gotten so much closer to Bickslow that it was actually beginning to scare her. Just his constant company had been enough to make the pain that was still there in her heart just a little bit more manageable with each day. He had been going out of his way to make her laugh or at least smile, and even though there were times throughout the weekend where she really didn't feel like laughing at all, she had.

And as simple as it was, just laughing over silly things – mostly Bickslow or something Ingrid did, or at their little moment they'd just shared – was actually helping. The more she laughed and smiled, the easier things got, and it really was all because of Bickslow.

The man was all that was getting her through the chaos that was her life in that moment and she couldn't even begin to put into words how thankful she was for it.

But none of that was what was scaring her; it was that she'd considered the possibility of Bickslow being something other than a friend, and that thought had really come out of nowhere, or so she thought. In the few short days she'd _needed_ Bickslow, Lucy had slowly come to realise that she'd also _wanted_ Bickslow, as weird as it was to admit that to herself. She'd wanted to get just that little bit closer to him and she didn't entirely know why.

Lucy knew they weren't her counterpart's feelings that lingered. Oh no, those were long gone, she'd already established that. But she still didn't know if they were truly her own. She didn't know if it was that goddamn book that was putting ideas in her head, because in her story, their relationship _surprisingly_ worked so it had her wondering if _they_ could work. Because hell, in _that_ world, they were married and had a kid, so was there any reason for different versions of themselves to work?

But of course, once she'd thought about the possibility of herself and Bickslow working in that world as _themselves_ in like, an actual relationship – no counterparts or story characters involved – she'd forced that same thought to the back of her mind. It was stupid, she reasoned. It was just her crazed, hormonal mind getting the better of her and making her confused. She had gotten too close too soon and it was just confusing her. It was making her see something that wasn't there and could never exist.

Because by Lucy's reasoning, that was perfectly logical. By Lucy's reasoning, it was completely plausible to be in denial about the possibility that she might actually have her own feelings for Bickslow, because hey, crazed hormonal mind.

Perfectly logical.

* * *

Bickslow sighed as he pushed open the door to Magnolia Q once again. Sunday also happened to mark exactly a month of being in that world and for whatever reason, Freed thought it would be a good idea to celebrate it over dinner. Sort of.

It was the dinner rush, so unlike the first time they'd all been there for their cooking class, the restaurant was almost completely full and all of the staff were running around with trays and menus, trying to get them all to their designated tables.

He forced a smile as he shoved his hands in his pockets before heading over to where everyone was gathered near the hostess podium, minus Levy and Gajeel who were still on their way, much to Levy's disappointment because she really would have preferred to stay in her apartment and do nothing.

"Hey," he greeted as he walked up to everyone.

"Good evening, Bickslow," Freed replied as Laxus nodded in his own greeting. "Will Lucy not be joining us tonight?" Freed asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Bickslow's smile faltered for just a moment. "Nope."

"Is she okay?" Mira asked quietly, her usual smile gone as she clung to Laxus' arm.

"She's alright," Bickslow nodded. "Just not feeling well so she wanted to stay home."

And it was kind of the truth. Lucy really hadn't been feeling brilliant all day – like every day for the last week basically – but she was also worried about everyone finding out about the pregnancy. She'd tried on just about every suitable dress she could find in the wardrobe, plus every skirt-and-blouse combo or something similar, but none of them really worked. They were either too tight and made her feel like she couldn't breathe (if she could get the zips up at all), or they were blatantly maternity clothes and she wasn't there. Yet.

As much as Bickslow tried to reassure her that she was barely showing anything at all – something they'd both been a little surprised, and in Lucy's case, _irritated_ to find out that you begin to show a lot earlier with the second pregnancy – and that nobody was going to think it was anything other than her putting on weight, if they even noticed it at all because _he_ barely had, and that was something he regretted saying as soon as the words had left his mouth. Sure, he'd tried to say it as kindly as possible, but he'd still had an article of clothing thrown at him and been shunned out of the room.

But no, Lucy had given up on trying to find something to wear and had therefore decided to spend the rest of her night in bed with Ingrid as she read and entertained the tiny human. Plus, she just really wasn't feeling that well, and there was the whole issue of not really having anyone to look after Ingrid (even though Claire was almost always available to do so, apparently).

So eventually, once Levy and Gajeel had arrived (with Levy complaining about her feet hurting and how she wasn't allowed to get a taxi for a walk that would take a normal person only a few minutes), they were able to go to their table, which was really three tables pushed together near the middle of the dining room. Bickslow was silent for the most part, just because he really didn't feel like talking all that much, especially after he'd had to explain more than once why Lucy wasn't there and it had begun to get on his nerves. Mira was staring at him from where she sat, Cana was staring at Mira and trying to figure out just what was so stare-worthy about Bickslow, and everyone else was really just going about their usual conversations as they waited for their entrées to arrive. Bickslow was already onto his… Well, he'd stopped counting how many glasses of whiskey he'd gone through, and it hadn't even been an hour. He liked to think he was drinking on behalf of Lucy, since she couldn't apparently (not that she did much anyway), and hey, that would have been another issue she'd had to deal with should she have decided to come to dinner with everyone.

Freed raised his glass of white wine as the waiters and waitresses finishing bringing out their appetisers, garnering everyone's attention with a clear of his throat. Bickslow looked up from his phone, Mira stopped arguing with Laxus about how Blake was doing at his sleepover, Natsu and Gray stopped arguing about something irrelevant, and Lisanna and Evergreen stopped giggling about Elfman, or so it seemed.

"So we've lasted a month here in Magnolia 2.0," Freed said, lowering his glass but keeping it just above the table. "And I think it's safe to say it has been an eventful month for all of us."

"And stressful." Gajeel piped in.

"Can say that again…" Came Levy's mumbled response.

Freed's mouth pulled up into a slight smile. "Yes, well… Some have obviously had a more eventful and stressful time here than others." He paused briefly as some chuckled quietly, because hell, some of them really had had a bit of a culture shock when it came to adjusting to their new lives, and those were just the ones that were there that night. There were still those that had been in the guild that they hadn't come across yet.

From what they could tell, they were all living in the same apartment building just because all of their teams had become interconnected. The Raijinshuu and Team Natsu just because of Bickslow and Lucy, then there was the Strauss family and the Raijinshuu because of Laxus and Mira, and then Elfman and Evergreen, then Team Natsu and the Strauss family because of Lisanna and Natsu. Then that really just left Cana, who was basically and adopted Strauss, then Juvia who was engaged to Gray in that world, and then Levy and Gajeel who just kind of got along with everyone. Well, Gajeel not so much, considering he was really only friends with Laxus and Bickslow.

But everyone was there because all of their lives were connected. They'd seen glimpses of others from the guild but never thought much about it, because they couldn't tell if they were the ones that they knew or if they were natives of the world they found themselves in. Besides, it was just easier to ignore it and try and go about their daily lives as best they could, so that meant not worrying about what kind of lives everyone else had in that world.

"But it has been a month, and none of us have come across anything that even hints at this being anything but permanent," Freed continued, his small smile wavering with the truth that everyone had already come to realise. "So with that, I'd like to propose a toast."

As he raised his glass up once again with everyone else doing so slowly, Bickslow sat up slightly in his own chair to pick up his own glass, having moved over to wine by that point like everyone else.

"This month has not been easy, and I think that it's safe to say that that has been the case for everyone here and everyone else who got involved with whatever caused us to end up here in the first place," Freed said, his voice asserting his confidence. If anything, that's what Bickslow liked about the man. He was always good with his words, and when it came to speeches (or anything close to them), it always came down to Freed. No one else in his team could pull it off like he could. "We've all been here long enough to realise that this is our home now. Whether our counterparts are in the magic-filled world we used to call home or not, this world, the one in which we sit right now, this is home." He paused just to clear his throat, then continued, "So, may we all continue to learn about this world we call home. May we find a balance between the life we used to know, and the life we have been thrown into. May we find true happiness once again in these new lives, and may we please, _please_ , drop the 2.0 from Magnolia, finally." And with a few quiet chuckles, Freed raised his glass up just a little bit higher and said, "To home."

And as they all echoed the toast, lifting their glasses to their lips to take small sips, Bickslow slumped back in his chair. The mention of their counterparts had the anger he'd been able to control bubbling up in him once again. In that moment, all he wanted was to be curled up with Ingrid, and honestly, Lucy. From just the weekend, Bickslow had come to realise that it wasn't just him keeping Lucy together, but it was her keeping him from letting the guilt and anger get the better of him.

But without her there, he was slowly returning to that bitter version of himself that was so far from his usual carefree personality.

"Say our counterparts actually are in our old world," Cana said, swirling her glass around as the corner of her mouth lifted up into a smirk. "What do you think would have happened when they woke up in a world with magic?"

"I probably would have shocked the shit out of all of you." Laxus scoffed.

"Good," Bickslow said bitterly, slouching in his chair as he picked up his glass and gulped down a very large amount of the red liquid. The guilt and the anger could only rise within him and all he could think about was the fact that if his other self really was in their own world, then he'd still have the Lucy that he didn't deserve.

Then there was the realisation that Ingrid didn't exist in that world. Their daughter wasn't in that world and that was going to hurt beyond all belief. Their tiny family was going to be incomplete, and Bickslow didn't care. He didn't feel pity for his other self and he didn't care that he was going to be missing his daughter. Sure, Bickslow was going to feel incredibly sorry for the other Lucy because she didn't deserve to have Ingrid taken away from her.

But the other Bickslow did.

Just the thought of the other Bickslow getting his ass handed to him had a sadistic smirk replace his scowl. Bickslow usually wasn't one to enjoy being shocked by Laxus, but hey, his other self… Well, the guy definitely deserved that. _Maybe the babies are getting in on it too._ And maybe, just maybe, Lucy would figure out that her famous kick hurt – _a lot_ – and his other self would be on the receiving end.

Bickslow's bitter comment mostly went unnoticed as the rest of the group laughed about what their counterparts would be doing; it was a unanimous decision that the guild building would have been destroyed after about an hour, if not the entire town. Natsu and Gray would probably be constantly trying to set the other on fire or encase them in a block of ice. Elfman would most likely be a stone statue a fair majority of the time and it would probably be from boasting about his manliness. Erza might have killed a few guild members or poked someone's eye out, or maybe given them a hug and suffocated them or knocked them out. It just went on and on, and really, things wouldn't have been that different from what they usually were; you know, just with different versions of themselves.

But Freed and the rest of his team, along with Mira and Gajeel, weren't so oblivious to Bickslow's comment. "Is something the matter, Bickslow?" Freed asked gently from where he sat beside the man.

"Sorry, sorry," Bickslow mumbled, sitting up slightly and picking up a fork. "I'm fine."

A huff of laughter from the other man beside him had Bickslow turning his head slightly. "You're a terrible liar, Bicks." Laxus said.

"Is this about the thing that happened on Friday?" Evergreen asked quietly.

"What? No, it's—"

Mira sat forward again to look at Bickslow, her brow furrowing slightly. "Wait, what else happened on Friday?"

"What _else?_ " Laxus said, looking down at the eldest Strauss quizzically. "Am I the only one who has no idea what happened at all on Friday?"

But before Bickslow could stop the questions that had his heart beating just a tiny bit faster as he began to panic from all of them, Natsu had joined the conversation from the other end of the table. "Is this about that rumour I heard on Friday?" he asked.

Bickslow paled as everyone else suddenly joined in with their own questions, all about what rumour it was that Natsu was talking about, or what had actually happened on Friday. He knew that the news of his affair had spread around the office and to various floors fairly quickly, and there was nothing he could do about his co-workers and staff knowing about it so he didn't really care.

But with his friends, it was something else entirely.

"Oh, you know," Natsu said suddenly as everyone stopped bombarding himself and Bickslow with questions. "Apparently Bickslow slept with his secretary and then fired her. That's just what's going around the building, anyway."

Bickslow could hear his heart beating in his ears. Trust Natsu to not be able to keep his mouth shut, especially when it came to someone else's personal life. And sure, it's not like he could actually blame Natsu for anything either, because it's not like it was a secret – thanks to Veronica – but it still sucked that everyone else at the table now knew.

His friends knowing wasn't even the worst part; it was that him sleeping with his secretary (not that he actually did) was something that wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for him. Hell, Bickslow never cared if people found out who he slept with – it was how he came to have a certain reputation in the first place, _because_ people knew – but the entire situation with the affair with the secretary and then throwing Lucy into the mix…it was something else entirely, and no one really knew it. Apart from Lucy.

No one knew that it hurt him apart from Lucy, because all weekend, they'd shut themselves off from everyone and ignored every message and phone call. They didn't really want to deal with anything else.

But after sitting for what felt like an eternity with everyone staring back at him, waiting for him to stick out his impressively long tongue and laugh it off or something like he usually did, he pushed his chair back on the floor and got up without a single world and dropped his fork back to the salad on the plate.

They all just watched as he weaved his way through the filled tables and chair and past the busy waiters and waitresses, towards the restrooms at the back of the room. Hell, he didn't know why he was going there, but anything was better than sitting there with everyone's eyes on him.

He really just needed to clear his head.

But his team had other plans, and after watching him disappear into the bathroom at the back of the room, they all shared a look, and before they all shot up from their chairs (Gajeel included), Evergreen muttered, "It wasn't actually him."

And really, it was more of a thought that just happened to be out loud than anything, but she'd said it loud enough for everyone at the table to hear and it had them all confused.

* * *

Bickslow stared down at the marble counter with the porcelain sinks, his hands gripping the counter tightly. The longer he stood there, the more he hated himself. It was like Friday morning all over again but there was nothing to distract him and cause him to forget about his own problems and dealings.

It was just him in a bathroom. No one else.

Until his team and Gajeel decided to burst through the door, at which point Bickslow groaned and rolled his eyes. If anything, he'd wanted to be alone then. He needed to be able to solve his own problems and get past everything by himself. He couldn't rely on Lucy like he knew he was, just to make him forget it all.

But with his friends there, staring at him in silence as Gajeel went and pushed every stall door open and checked around the corners to make sure it really was empty, Bickslow knew he wasn't going to be forgetting anything any time soon.

They were going to make him talk, like they always did. They were his friends, and they knew when something was wrong and they were the only people in the world he knew him well enough to do that.

"So is it true?" Evergreen asked, breaking the silence. "Did you sleep with her?"

Bickslow turned to lean back against the counter, folding his arms as he looked down at the tiled floor. "Yes."

"No, Bicks," she said as she crossed the room to stand before Bickslow, her manicured hand reaching up to grasp his chin between her fingers and force his head up slightly, making him look her directly in the eyes. Should they both been able to use magic, the only ever time they'd look each other in the eyes would be to see who could win – would it be Bickslow turning to stone or Evergreen turning into a human puppet? "Did _you_ do it?" she asked quietly.

 _Should have expected that one_.

As Bickslow stared down at Evergreen, he couldn't help but wonder why it even mattered whether it was him or his other self. It didn't make a difference because the point was that it was done at all and Lucy got hurt. There was nothing anyone could do about it.

But he really was a terrible liar, and that was only because he was usually so upfront when it came to what he was thinking and feeling. He gave blunt answers whether they were going to be insulting or not because most of the time, he just didn't really care all that much about other people's feelings. Some people were the exception to that rule, and Lucy was and always had been one of them and it was why he'd wanted to help her since their first day in that world. If he cared about someone enough, he'd try and watch his words, because Bickslow had always been aware that he really was an asshole most of the time, but the point was that he didn't care.

Most of the time.

But he just really couldn't lie, especially to his team. They knew him too well to know when he was, so really, he had no choice but to tell the truth.

"No," he said finally.

"So you didn't fuck her," Laxus cut in, folding his arms as he came to lean on the counter next to Bickslow. "So what? I don't see what that has to do with you being a depressing moron."

"It's… complicated."

Gajeel turned the lock on the bathroom door, barring anyone from interrupting their conversation, before turning and walking across the room slowly, and eyebrow raised slightly. "Does this have anything to do with—"

But Bickslow cut him off, catching the pierced man's gaze as Evergreen let his jaw go. "No," he said flatly. "This isn't about that."

"Hm? I get the feeling there's something else going on, and Gajeel knows more than everyone else…" Freed mused.

"That's because he does, and it's going to stay that way because right now, that's irrelevant." Bickslow said, his voice turning serious as he pushed away from the counter, moving to stand in the middle of the room with his arms folded. "Okay, look. The other Bickslow was sleeping with his secretary, _I_ found out and then I fired her, and because she's an immature brat, she decided to cause a scene and shout it out to the entire floor. That's what happened on Friday and that's what this is about." _Among other things…_

Bickslow watched the small group as their minds processed the information, and he knew straight away that they were confused. They didn't understand why Bickslow had fired Veronica just from that, and they didn't see how it related to him trying to convince everyone that nothing was wrong.

He knew the information he'd given them wasn't enough, and even though Bickslow really didn't know how to explain everything, he was going to try, as much as he didn't want to. He told his team everything, whether it was of his own accord or they forced it out of him.

So, taking a deep breath to ready himself, he continued, "Look, you want to know why I've been avoiding you all since Friday? It's because I hate myself." When Evergreen went to question him, Bickslow put his hand up, signalling her to stay silent. If he was going to say it, he wasn't going to get interrupted. "There's a part of me that feels guilty as all hell because of it – but that's not really me. It's the other version of me that is still here in this body. It's _him_ that feels guilty about cheating on Lucy, not _me_ , but I'm the one who gets stuck with that guilt. And really, I'm surprisingly okay with that. I hate myself because in a way, I'm the one who ended up hurting Lucy, and you all know that I never wanted to do that again," he said, and his team could hear the desperation in his voice as he looked towards them.

It was no secret within his team that Bickslow had cared a little bit about the blonde in question since the events around Fantasia, though they never really understood why. He'd never explained why he cared, not that she knew about it, but they knew he didn't want to hurt her again. Ever. No one did.

"But she's the one who ended up getting hurt because of all of it. You know what sucks? _I_ actually feel guilty about breaking her heart and I didn't even do a damn thing. Lucy is in pain because of something that my other self did and there's not a single thing either of us can do about it, and that's not fair," he said. "It just made me so goddamn angry that my other self could do something like that at all. You guys know me. You guys know I slept around a lot, but you know that I would not do something so low. I would _never_ cheat on anyone, _especially_ not on Lucy, and that's what pisses me off. The guy had a near fucking perfect family and he decides to go and fuck his secretary? What's with that?" he shouted, suddenly aware he'd begun to pace the area in front of everyone. That wasn't the only thing he'd become aware of, because he'd also become aware that he'd said too much; more than he'd anticipated and more than he probably should have. And if it wasn't for the shocked faces of his team and Gajeel, then it was from the fact that his heart was hammering away in his chest, just from the rage that was well on its way to consuming him again. He was letting himself get too worked up.

So taking another deep, calming breath, he stopped moving and looked at his team again. "You want to know why I've been avoiding all of your calls and messages this weekend? It's because I've been trying to sort out this entire fuck-up that my evil twin put me in. You want to know why I've been a 'depressed moron,' as you so kindly put it, Laxus? It's because it fucking hurts _me_ to know that Lucy is having an incredibly hard time with everything right now, _because_ of something my other self did." Then, running his hands through his hair before he shoved them into his pockets with a quiet sigh, he said quietly, "I really do get that it's confusing as all hell, I really do, but it is really complicated and incredibly hard to explain. So please, just know that right now, there is a lot going on in this crazy life of mine and that it wasn't even easy for me to admit any of what I just said, and that's really not even the half of it."

And there was a very long and awkward moment that followed Bickslow's grand confession, and Bickslow didn't blame anyone for staring at him like he was high and doing something incredibly weird – by his standards, anyway. Everyone was really just too stunned to talk as their minds continued to process everything. Again.

But then, right when Bickslow was on the verge of begging someone to say something because the silence was becoming unbearable, Gajeel spoke. "Well, your Friday was definitely eventful," he said with his signature grin.

"That's for sure." Bickslow said as the corner of his mouth pulled up into a slight smirk. And really, Friday had been eventful. It really was amazing just how much had happened in one day.

Slowly, the rest of his team came out of their dazes, mostly with masks of confusion, except for Freed. Freed looked like everything Bickslow had said had made perfect sense, and honestly, that made Bickslow confused. It barely even made sense to him.

And Bickslow stood there answering all of their questions once they'd been able to talk, helping them come to understand the insane predicament he was in, and boy, were there a lot of questions. It was mostly Evergreen asking the questions, with the occasional one from Laxus or Freed. Gajeel just seemed to be along for the ride by that point, apparently finding it all entertaining.

But when Bickslow thought it was done and he'd calmed himself down and returned to a state where he thought he'd be ready to go back out to the restaurant and enjoy dinner with his friends, Freed decided to ask one more question, and honestly, it was one that Bickslow really did not like.

"Is it possible that your own guilt and anger about the other Bickslow's infidelity are actually caused by your own feelings towards Lucy?"

Bickslow narrowed his eyes at the green-haired man. "Freed, don't do this. Don't go there." Because really, now was not the time to get into a debate about whether or not he actually did have feelings for Lucy – ones that were actually his own and not just lingering ones from his counterpart's body – and went beyond just caring about her because of everything he'd done and everyone they'd been through.

He knew that it was entirely possible, he really did, but he didn't want to think about it. Not in that moment, anyway. There was too much going on.

"Just a thought…" Freed muttered.

But of course, everyone else had already picked up on what Freed was quite obviously insinuating (or spelling out, perhaps), and they'd taken Bickslow's avoidance of the question as a sign that Bickslow himself had actually considered that same possibility, at least once, anyway. But it was also quite clear the man didn't want to talk about it, so they'd leave it. They probably wouldn't have been able to get the information out of him if they tried, because it was quite obviously something he was going to keep to himself and would make sure it stayed that way.

A knock on the bathroom door drew their attention suddenly, and Gajeel had been about to tell whoever it was to go the hell away, but then the voice from the other side of the door had everyone in the room frozen in place.

"Are you guys still in there?" Mira called, her face pressed near the edge of the door before she glanced back towards the dining table where everyone was currently freaking out. "You need to come out. It's Levy."


	18. Chapter 18

Bickslow had called Lucy as soon as they'd all left the restaurant and headed straight for the hospital, as per Levy's shouted orders as the group tried their best to make Levy as comfortable as possible and calm Gajeel down, who, since finding out that Levy was going into labour, had been clutching Lily the entire time with a panicked look in his eyes. Honestly, no one could tell who was freaking out more between Gajeel and Levy.

But once arriving at the hospital, Levy was whisked away to the upstairs ward, her shouted insults aimed at Gajeel slowly getting quieter and quieter as she disappeared through a set of doors and down a hall. As much as Gajeel did want to go and be with Levy, the hospital wouldn't even let him in to the damn waiting room unless he put the cat down, but he wasn't doing that. Hell, even Lily was trying to claw his way out of his grip because he knew Gajeel should be with Levy, rather than hugging a cat for dear life outside the hospital.

Although, Levy didn't actually mind that he wouldn't be joining her all that much. Most of her insults were actually geared towards the _other_ Gajeel – the one who actually got her knocked up with twins in the first place. Though, in her distressed and panicky state, she was really just yelling at Gajeel in general.

Bickslow being the good guy he was – he liked to _think_ he was a good guy, at least sometimes – waited out the front of the hospital with Gajeel, watching as he frantically paced the covered entrance in the cool night. Lily's quiet meows were heard every now and then between Gajeel's rambling under his breath; complaints about the world swap, not knowing whether or not the twins were boys or girls (because apparently, the nursery was neutral and it was going to be a surprise, even for them), and cursing the hospital staff for not letting him in with a goddamn cat.

Bickslow sighed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket again to check the time.

 ** _8:23PM._**

 ****He'd called Lucy just before 8 p.m., and he felt bad for disturbing her because she really wasn't feeling well, and she was going to have to wake up Ingrid and bring her with her to the hospital. But alas, it had to be done. Because Levy wanted Lucy by her side for when the time came for her to actually give birth. Hell, Levy had made sure the hospital staff knew that there would be a blonde coming in at some point and she was going to be let into her room. The look on some of the nurse's faces made everyone pale, Levy was that goddamn terrifying and threatening.

But as everyone else sat in the crowded waiting room (being a Sunday night, there were plenty of idiots roaming with their even stupider ideas and injuries), Bickslow waited somewhat patiently for Lucy, and Gajeel just kept pacing and freaking out. But at a little past eight thirty, Lucy finally arrived. She'd had no choice but to drive herself, and at that point, she still hated it as much as she day they'd all had their first driving lessons. Though, she did have to admit that it could have been worse. Freed had reasoned it would be a good idea if they all learned how to drive in that world and abide by that world's rules, so they'd all had multiple driving lessons. Besides, the more they did it, the more it felt like they were just jogging their memories, because after all, in that world, they all held valid driver's licenses and it was really just their muscle memory kicking in.

Or something like that. That's just what Erza said.

But she still hated driving and she avoided it whenever she could, like everyone else.

As soon as Bickslow saw Lucy briskly walking towards the covered entrance, he turned to meet her in the middle, only glancing quickly towards Gajeel who kept pacing and stroking the black and white cat.

"Nice clothes," Bickslow mumbled once he got close enough for Lucy to hear, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a small smirk. Plain black three-quarter leggings and an oversized grey sweater was what she'd showed up in. Hell, he knew she was paranoid about people seeing the slight bump she had, but come on, the sweater that was like three sizes too big was probably a little too much.

"Shut up," she said, gently passing Ingrid over. "One, I was in bed reading so I didn't particularly feel like getting dressed all that much, and two, well… You already know that reason."

"And I'm telling you that no one is gonna know."

Lucy frowned. "It doesn't matter." Sighing, she slipped her handbag that was doubling as the bag to store all of Ingrid's necessities off her shoulder and passed it to Bickslow as he moved Ingrid to the one arm briefly. "She's not in a good mood right now, but her rabbit is in the bag… Or maybe it's in the car since she was holding it on the way over here… Oh, I don't know anymore."

"Wait, you drove here?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow, following after her as she headed towards the doors.

"Didn't really have a choice. Anyway, um, you should have everything to keep her happy in my bag, or in the car. Keys are in the bag."

"Got it."

She nodded once she'd reached the doors, pausing as the automatic doors slid open and the noise from the waiting room and reception wafted out. Glancing towards the still pacing Gajeel, she frowned again. "Alright, I need to go find Levy…"

"Good luck," Bickslow said, smirking again before he looked down to Ingrid and frowned. Is it possible for babies to glare? Bickslow didn't know, but hell, she definitely has the same glare as her mother. Already.

So as Lucy finally disappeared through the doors and to the reception, needing to know which direction to head to get to Levy, Bickslow finally turned back to Gajeel as he moved towards the doors himself. "Right, uh, sorry, Gajeel. I've gotta go back inside," he said.

A simple nod from the frantic man and a mew of distress from Pantherlily. "Goddamn motherfucking twins. Goddamn hospital. Fuck. Stupid rules. Fucking twins. Shit," Gajeel continued to mumble under his breath. His vocabulary was somewhat limited right then, as Bickslow had noticed.

Bickslow could only shake his head slightly as he finally walked through the door and made his way over to the rest of the anxiously awaiting team in amongst the busy waiting room. Slumping down in an empty seat next to Evergreen, he turned to look over everyone else. "Someone needs to go and babysit him," he said simply, and as everyone looked between themselves, as if having silent conversations between themselves, Bickslow looked back down to Ingrid _. Yup, still in a bad mood._

With a groan of annoyance, Laxus stood up from just beside him and picked up his large fur-trimmed coat from where it was hanging over the armrest and onto the next chair, which just happened to be Mira's and he yanked it out from under her. "I'll do it," he sighed.

And as Bickslow stared down at Ingrid again, already seeing her bottom lip tremble, he rolled his eyes and reached down into the bag that was between his feet and rooted around in it until he felt something that was definitely Ingrid's and would possibly make her less upset. No bunnies in her bag, but, he did come across something else and he could only question why Lucy had decided to throw it in the bag before coming. He pulled out one of the totems that used to be part of his immortal troupe of dolls and handed it to Ingrid, letting her take the totem between her tiny hands.

He breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled the wing into her mouth again, like she usually did when she got her paws on it. To think that something so small and simple would keep her happy for the time being. Then, looking up as he slouched in the chair, making sure he was comfortable enough with his legs somewhat stretched out before him, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What?" he asked, seeing the raised eyebrows and questioning looks that everyone else was giving him.

"Isn't that one of your babies?" Gray asked.

"Which one are you referring to?" Cana added, leaning forward on her chair to look past Mira and towards Bickslow.

Bickslow couldn't help but shake his head, much like everyone else had begun to. Because really, Cana had a point. Hell, he had his human baby in his arms, and his human baby was holding one of his doll babies. So really, it could be referring to either one. It was honestly just too confusing.

Too many babies.

Shrugging, Bickslow looked towards Gray who sat on the row of chairs just opposite him. "Yeah, it is. But Ingrid likes them, and besides, it's keeping her from crying right now so you should probably not question it."

And that was the point. It was that it was keeping her from crying. For now, anyway. Because Bickslow knew that it was going to happen eventually, especially with the amount of noise in the waiting room. It was really only a matter of time, and Bickslow was not particularly looking forward to it.

It was going to be a long night. A _very_ long night.

* * *

Lucy held back her own cry of pain as Levy's grip on her hand tightened with her own scream. For such a small woman, she had an incredibly strong grip and Lucy was beginning to think she was going to be leaving the ward with a few bruises on her hand, if not a few broken bones.

"Come on, Levy." Lucy's free hand went out to push the wet hair off Levy's sweaty face, pushing it back before grabbing the damp towel and dabbing it on her forehead. "You've got to focus on your breathing."

Levy nodded frantically, a loud sigh escaping her lips as her head tipped back to rest against the raised mattress of the hospital bed. "I know, I know," she said breathlessly. Closing her eyes, she thought back to the breathing techniques she'd been reading about all week. _Relax. Relax. Relax._ _Relax your breathing_ , she told herself. "Focus on my—" But her sentence was cut off as she cried out again, her eyes scrunching up in pain as she felt another contraction begin.

Lucy glanced up to the clock above the door quickly. It was nearly three and by that point, Levy was nearly ready to start pushing, and honestly, Lucy was actually starting to freak out and she wasn't even the one who was in labour.

But, she would be at some point. She didn't know _when_ , because she still didn't really know how far along she actually was, but she would be in labour. One day. And she was already freaking out about it because she couldn't help but think about the fact that technically, she'd already been in labour. She'd been in the same position Levy was currently and really, it hadn't been all that long ago since Ingrid was six months old.

Lucy had technically already had a baby six months earlier, and for the first time, Lucy was actually terrified. She'd had a goddamn baby. That same body had pushed out a creature the size of a goddamn watermelon. She had to hold back the shudder as she thought about it.

But she didn't have time to worry about herself and freak out about the fact that she'd had a baby, technically, and was going to be having another one. She was there for Levy, who, in the current moment, was having twins.

Goddamn twins.

"Alright, you're nearly there, Levy," the doctor said suddenly, her head popping up from behind the blanket draped over Levy's legs. "You're just about ready to start pushing."

"Oh, for the love of god, please hurry the fuck up," Levy groaned, panting as Lucy wiped over her head with another cool towel. She'd only had to deal with being pregnant for a month, but she was already over it. Completely over it. More than anything, she just wanted the goddamn babies out of her.

"Breathe, Levy," Lucy said soothingly, wincing from the blinding pain in her hand from Levy squeezing it so tight as she rode out the rest of the contraction. "Just think, it's almost over!"

Levy opened her eyes to glare at her best friend, breathing heavily with one hand still clutching her belly. "I still have to actually give birth, Lu!" she shouted. If it was any other time, she'd be apologising vehemently for raising her voice, but hell, not today.

Lucy was instantly regretting her words though. As soon as they'd left her mouth she'd wished she hadn't said anything, so when Levy did yell at her, she knew it was deserved. Because hell, she was right: the worst part hadn't actually happened.

So Lucy made a point of watching her words from that point forward and she made sure she only said things that would help Levy through everything. Everything Lucy had been worrying about all week and all weekend were the furthest things from her thoughts. At the time, her own issues were irrelevant because she had to be there for her best friend. Levy was more important.

Except when the doctor came back in a little while later to check on Levy's progress and announced that she was finally ready to start pushing, Lucy was back to freaking out about her own problems (while also freaking out for Levy). Of course, she was discreetly freaking out. To anyone in the room, she'd only look terrified because of Levy, but that wasn't entirely the case.

She was terrified because she was having a goddamn baby. Her own baby. One day, and sort of soon.

* * *

Bickslow smiled softly as a nurse handed him and Gajeel cups of coffee. By that point of the night, Gajeel had come to his senses, but for whatever reason, the staff weren't letting him go see Levy so he was stuck in the waiting room, which by that point, was considerably less busy being it was nearly four o'clock in the morning.

Everyone else had been sent home by Gajeel at midnight (which was about the time he let go of Lily and actually came into the hospital), given that it had been a Sunday night and they all had work to get to in the morning, leaving just Gajeel and Bickslow. And Ingrid.

Bickslow could only be glad that Ingrid had managed to fall asleep. With all the noise in the waiting room for the majority of the night, she'd been kept awake and she was definitely not in a good mood, and her screaming and crying clued in pretty much everyone. But of course, his friends had tried their best to keep the tiny human entertained, because they learnt that the more they kept her occupied, the less she cried. Which, under most circumstances, didn't really work. But for whatever reason, it had worked then and Bickslow didn't care.

But now, it was quiet (quieter, anyway), and she was happily asleep in his arm, cradling her in the one arm as he sipped away at his coffee slowly. He was so far past tired it wasn't even funny. He was so far past tired that he wasn't even all that tired anymore. But, he still had to go to work come morning, and he had to hire a new secretary. Honestly, Bickslow was probably just going to hire the first one he saw without even reading their resume. As long as they could fetch him coffee, he didn't particularly care.

Well, that, and they knew not to try and sleep with him. He wasn't going down that road again.

"Is it weird that I'm terrified right now?" Gajeel asked quietly, looking towards Ingrid as he slumped down in his chair beside Bickslow.

A small smile tugged at Bickslow's lips. "Not at all."

"I'm not ready to be a dad," Gajeel mumbled. "Hell, I don't even like kids and now I have to look after two of the damned things?"

"I hate kids," Bickslow admitted. When Gajeel raised an eyebrow as he looked up to Bickslow, he chuckled quietly. "But this kid, I love."

Gajeel scoffed. "Good for you."

"No, I mean, even if you don't like kids, your own ones are different."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"As soon as you hold those twins, you're gonna fall in love with them. I guarantee it."

"Doubt it."

"You will," Bickslow insisted. "You'll probably still hate every other kid on the planet, but your own kids, you'll love."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he took a sip from his own coffee, slouching even further on the uncomfortable vinyl chair. "Whatever you say, soul boy."

Another chuckle from Bickslow as he glanced back down to Ingrid, adjusting the white blanket she was wrapped in to make sure it wasn't too tight or too loose. Then, without looking up, he mumbled, "You do realise our kids are gonna grow up together, right? Lucy and Levy will make sure of that."

"Don't tell me I'm gonna be stuck with seeing your ugly face for the rest of my life." Gajeel groaned.

"Ingrid's only six months old, which means if the twins are girls, then they're probably going to be best friends with each other if they grow up together," he chuckled. "So yes, you're going to be stuck with me. And Cosplayer. And Ingrid. For the rest of your life."

"You're forgetting someone, aren't you?" Gajeel asked, turning his head slightly with a sly grin.

Bickslow's grin disappeared instantly and looked back down to Ingrid. _Oh… Right… There's going to be another one of those._ But it wasn't like he'd forgotten about it. Oh no, it was impossible to forget about that. Hell, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, but Lucy had pretty much avoided the conversation they both knew they needed to have like the plague. She'd only really mentioned something about making a prenatal appointment, but she said she wanted to wait. What for, Bickslow did not know, but he wasn't going to push it if she didn't want to talk about it, which she obviously did not. If anything, she'd been sort of acting like everything was normal (or trying to), and it was beginning to irritate Bickslow. She was pretending nothing was wrong – like she wasn't still hating Bickslow and that she wasn't actually in pain anymore, and like she wasn't having a baby, either.

Like _they_ weren't having a baby.

"Yeah…well…" Bickslow eventually mumbled. "We're not talking about that at the moment, apparently."

"Doesn't seem like the kind of thing you can ignore for very long," Gajeel said softly and it made Bickslow look up suddenly in confusion. It wasn't a tone Gajeel used very often, if at all. It was weird.

But he was right.

"I know."

"Can I ask another question?"

Bickslow smirked. "You just did."

"Oh, shut up," Gajeel mumbled, taking another sip of his coffee before he rolled his eyes. "Was Freed right though? In the restaurant?"

 _Fuck._

That was also another thing he couldn't stop thinking about, and when he'd been sitting in a hospital waiting room for nearly seven hours, he'd had plenty of time to think about things, just because he didn't really have anything else to do. Slowly, he'd been able to come around to believing that it wasn't just a possibility, because hell, it made sense.

Bickslow knew there was a part of him that actually wanted her, but he'd never been entirely sure whether it was actually him or his well… heart. You know, the heart of the guy that cheated on his wife and actually felt guilty about it. It made sense for his reaction to everything to be caused by his own feelings for Lucy, and he really didn't know how to feel about that. Hell, he'd been pushing to see just how close he could actually get to her and he really, _really_ wanted to kiss her.

But he'd wanted to do that for weeks, so that wasn't really that new.

It was only in the last three days where they'd had to get closer – _for_ Lucy – that he'd begun to see the possibility of actually having his own feelings. But hell, he lived with her. He spent every day of the goddamn week with her; every morning, every night, she was the first and last person he saw every day.

But it was almost inappropriate for Bickslow to actually like her, or so he thought because that's just how he saw things. The timing for him to realise his feelings was incredibly bad, especially since Lucy still found it painful to be around him just because of the other Bickslow.

He couldn't actually do anything with how he felt about Lucy. Not with the affair and the baby. The timing was horrible and then there was the issue of her most likely not reciprocating those feelings. She was only willing to be around him in those three days because for whatever reason, his presence was helping her. He didn't understand how, but he would help her.

He _had_ to help her.

But he wouldn't let her know just how he felt. He couldn't.

Shrugging, Bickslow just looked down to Ingrid, asleep in his arms. "I guess so," he mumbled.

And surprisingly (still, to Bickslow), Gajeel wasn't smirking. He was actually being serious for once in his life. No quips or snarky remarks, he was just… being a friend, almost. "Still don't want talk about it, I take it?"

"Nope."

"Well, in that case…" Gajeel got up and moved to throw his empty coffee cup in a bin and then to the doors of the emergency department, only to come back a moment later with Pantherlily back in his arms as he stroked his tail. Then, nodding towards Ingrid as he sat back down, he said, "How hard is it?"

Bickslow's brow twisted in both amusement and confusion. "How hard is what?"

"You know what I mean," Gajeel snarled – quietly, since after all, Ingrid was asleep and he knew better than to wake the baby. Levy was still giving him hell for making Ingrid cry on the first day of being in that world.

"Oh, you mean Iike the whole being a parent thing?" When Gajeel nodded, his gaze briefly shifting in his apparent embarrassment, Bickslow chuckled, smiling as he looked back down to Ingrid. "It's hard," he admitted, and at the sound of Gajeel's groan, probably half of annoyance and half from misery, he paused, just long enough to make Gajeel feel worse than he already was about becoming a father at all. But hey, Bickslow had to have fun somehow, since after all, he knew that Gajeel would change his opinion on it all as soon as he met his kids. Hell, it had happened to Bickslow so he was talking from experience. "But it's also easy."

"That just makes no sense at all."

Bickslow felt a tug on his heartstrings when Ingrid began to smile softly in her sleep again. They'd come to realise she did it a lot, actually, and every time Bickslow got the pleasure of seeing her already so bright smile considering she was so young, he couldn't stop his own smile from forming.

"Okay, look," Bickslow said, finally pulling his gaze away from Ingrid sleeping peacefully and up to Gajeel who was staring at him in disgust, almost. "It's hard. It really is. And it's scary, especially when you have no idea what you're doing, which, I do not. I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to Ingrid."

"That's helpful…" Gajeel mumbled.

"But, it's also kinda easy at the same time. And honestly, it's great. Their entire world revolves around you, and you get to see them experience things for the first time and it's so, _so_ rewarding to watch them explore and develop."

Gajeel groaned as he rolled his eyes, sitting back in his chair. "Ugh, you're goin' all weird and gross on me, man."

Bickslow chuckled quietly. "Yeah, whatever. Anyway, remember what I said about you falling in love with those kids as soon as you hold them?" When Gajeel nodded slowly, Bickslow smiled softly. "I meant it. They're gonna become the centre of your world instantly." And Bickslow really did mean every word he'd said so far. Ingrid was the centre of his world and he wasn't even ashamed to admit that. In such a relatively short amount of time, his entire world had been turned upside down and his views and opinions on everything had changed so much.

But Bickslow wouldn't change any of it. If he had the chance to go back to his old life, he wouldn't take it. Sure, he missed his magic and he missed the babies, but if he had the option of returning to his old life, he'd walk away from that option without a single regret. The life he'd been thrown into was so much better than he'd ever expected it to be, and for the first time, Bickslow felt like he actually had a purpose. In the old world, all he did was joke around and sleep around. There was no meaning to his life, and he didn't realise just how unhappy he was with that until he'd begun to see just how great the life he'd been thrown into was. His life had been empty before. Bickslow could see that now.

He was happier than he'd ever been, and sure, his life was practically a mess right now, but he was still happy. He had a reason to get up and smile every morning – two reasons, actually – and he was still happy.

And that was really all because of Ingrid. And Lucy, sort of. As cliché as it was, Bickslow felt like becoming a parent had made his life fulfilled.

He wouldn't change any of it for the world. Even with all of the pain and confusion and stress in his and Lucy's lives at the moment, he still loved his new life, and that was because the joy he got from it outweighed everything that was bad. In Bickslow's life, the good most definitely outweighed all that was bad, and that _good_ was Ingrid.

But… Everything that was bad was just temporary. Bickslow knew that. Hell, he had to _believe_ that. He had to believe that eventually, everything would get better and there would be nothing bad left in their lives. Eventually, they'd all be happy again and they wouldn't have anything weighing down their thoughts. He had to believe that.

He was going to _make sure_ of that, too. Bickslow was going to make sure that the small, somewhat dysfunctional and weird family that they'd become in just a month was going to go back to normal.

He needed it to.

Sighing, Bickslow looked back up to Gajeel. "Look, you're gonna love those kids more than you've loved anything in your entire life. It's not going to be easy, but you'll love every second of it. You'll fall into a routine that works. You'll never want to let them go as soon as you get your hands on them. You're going to want to protect them. Forever. Even from day one. It's not going to feel like a chore, even though there's parts of being a parent that are absolutely fucking dreadful, because you'll still love every second of it and that just makes everything worth." Then, when Gajeel was back to staring at him in astonishment, he paused, just for a short moment as he made to pull Ingrid in tighter against him without disturbing her too much and waking her. Quietly, while looking down to Ingrid with a small smile, he added, "You're going to love being a dad."

And Gajeel knew that Bickslow was being entirely serious, even if it was for the first time in his life (as far as Gajeel knew, anyway). He wasn't joking, he wasn't messing with anyone, and he wasn't lying. Every single word he'd said had been the truth.

Even though Gajeel hadn't expected quite that answer, he was glad for it. Because somehow, it had reassured him; it had calmed his nerves just a little bit and he wasn't as nervous about actually becoming a dad. Sure, he was still terrified, but if Bickslow and Lucy could be parents (well, Lucy, Gajeel could see as being a good parent. Bickslow, not so much, but hey, it seemed to work), then himself and Levy could be.

And as he sat there in silence, thinking over everything as Bickslow's head tipped back against the top of the chairs and he closed his eyes, Gajeel found himself just a little bit more excited to meet the two new bundles of joy that would take over his life and world, and it seemed to come at the right moment because finally, when it was nearly half-past four in the morning, Lucy came out through the metal doors separating the nearly empty waiting room and the rest of the hospital.

She walked towards them slowly, rubbing her aching hand as Gajeel shot up and met her half way and in the middle of the room.

"So?" he said anxiously, suddenly tightening his grip on Lily. "Is she…? Did she have them yet?"

Lucy nodded as she looked up to Gajeel with a smile. "She delivered about fifteen minutes ago. Levy's fine – exhausted, but fine. And the twins are fine too."

A wide grin split Gajeel's face when a wave of relief washed over him and he exhaled, suddenly realising he'd been holding his breath. Honestly, he didn't know what he'd have done if any of them weren't actually okay, and hell, two of them had apparently only been in the world for fifteen minutes. He was already worried and attached to them without even meeting them. _Maybe Bickslow was onto something_. He didn't even know how that had happened. It was almost as if knowing they were actually here was enough for him to feel like a parent.

"Boys or girls?" he asked quickly.

"One of each, actually," Lucy said, giggling slightly at the unusually excited raven-haired man before her. "What are you still standing here for? Go be with Levy and your kids!"

"Shit, true," Gajeel mumbled as he started running towards the door, a look of realisation and shock crossing him again, and leaving the quietly laughing blonde behind. Then suddenly, he turned back around and went back towards Lucy and thrust Lily into her arms unexpectedly. "Hold my cat."

Lucy had to scrambled to catch Lily, not wanting him to fall to the ground even though they were supposed to land on their feet. Slowly, she made her way through the rows of mostly empty chairs and towards Bickslow and Ingrid, getting Lily comfortable in her arms as his tail swished by the side of her face, somewhat annoyingly.

Smiling, Bickslow looked up from Ingrid as Lucy sat down beside him with a sigh, the exhaustion clear on her face. "Do you need to stick around?" he asked quietly.

"No, we can go home," she replied. "I just really needed to sit down."

"Well, I really need to stand up," he chuckled quietly as Lucy smiled, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes for just a minute with another quiet sigh. Then, when she got up slowly and moved over to the chair on the other side of Bickslow to pick up her bag and swing it over her shoulder, Bickslow also got up slowly. He could feel the muscles in his legs and back almost cry out from joy, if it were possible. It felt so good to finally stand up and take just a single step, even if it hurt just a tiny bit from the lack of movement for so long.

"Was Ingrid a hassle?" Lucy asked, reaching to pick up his jacket from where it was draped over the back of a chair before they slowly started to walk towards the exit.

He shrugged. "Not really. She didn't really like the noise and being kept awake, but once it quieted down she was okay. But on the bright side, she had constant entertainment until about midnight."

"Oh?" Lucy said questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

"Gajeel sent everyone home around then, and she didn't fall asleep until everyone had left," Bickslow said as they walked through the automatic doors and out into the crisp early morning air, and instinctively he made sure the blanket was wrapped around Ingrid enough to keep her warm. "Natsu and Gray arguing actually made her laugh, somehow, and everyone else just really liked keeping her happy." Because hell, no one liked to hear a crying baby, but there were some times they couldn't stop her from crying and that was just because she was tired.

Lucy nodded. "Ah, well… I'm glad she was manageable, at least. I'm sorry you had to stay for so long," she mumbled. She really did feel bad for making Bickslow stay up all that time. She thought she should have had someone tell him to go home and put Ingrid to bed, but she just couldn't find the time to do so. "Is Laxus making you go into work?"

A smirk pulled at his lips. "Yeah, he is," he said. Hell, Laxus was probably going to find it amusing if Bickslow fell asleep at his desk or in a meeting. But coffee… Coffee was going to be his friend. Then, as they slowly walked towards the entrance to the underground car park and towards the car (Bickslow following Lucy, of course), he asked quietly, "So, how was it?" Because hell, he was a little curious. He'd heard some horror stories about birth.

"You mean the delivery and such?" she looked up in time to see Bickslow nod slowly and she sighed, folding her arms across her chest. "Honestly, it was simultaneously the most horrific and beautiful thing I've ever seen." And those were really the only two words she could use to describe it. It is literally bringing a human into the world; a human that is half of you and half of someone else. It was a beautiful thing.

But it was also bloody (in Levy's case, at least) and just plain horrific. Lucy couldn't help but panic when she thought about the fact she was supposed to be going through that same thing. One day.

One day, she was going to be bringing another human into the world that was half herself and half Bickslow and it was both terrifying and beautiful, and there was a tiny part of her that was actually excited and happy about it.

"Well, that sounds like a charming experience," Bickslow said sarcastically. _At least she didn't go into detail_ , he thought.

A breathless and quiet laugh escaped Lucy's lips as she fished around in her bag for the keys. "Yeah, very," she agreed. As she pulled the keys out of her bag, coming to a stop next to the car, she pressed the correct button on the remote and opened one of the back doors for Bickslow, letting him strap Ingrid into the car-seat that was in the back. Then, looking down to Lily who she had tucked under one arm, she said, "Looks like you'll be coming home with us, Lily."

As the cat meowed quietly, Bickslow held his breath as he slowly backed away from the side of the car and closed the door as gently as possible. Then, after waiting until he was sure he was going to collapse from lack of oxygen, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow, Ingrid hadn't woken up when he'd moved her into the seat and Bickslow had learned the hard way that it was never particularly a good idea to move her if she'd fallen asleep in his arms. It mostly ended badly. But for whatever reason, she was still asleep and Bickslow wasn't going to question that reason.

So as he climbed into the car, gently shutting his door behind him as Lucy did the same with hers before letting Lily curl up on the back seat next to Ingrid's seat, Bickslow turned to Lucy as she held the keys out to him. "Time to go home and sleep?" he asked, turning the key in the ignition and silently thanking every single god that existed that the car was quiet enough that it wouldn't wake Ingrid (something else they'd learnt).

"Time to go home and sleep," Lucy echoed, already resting her head against the seatbelt and closing her eyes.

Hell, that was if they managed to even fall asleep before Ingrid actually woke up for the morning before her nap, or before Bickslow had to get ready for work.

It was going to be a long and tiring day either way.


	19. Chapter 19

Bickslow rubbed at his eyes as he headed towards his office. If he didn't have to be at work, he wouldn't be. But of course, Laxus was making him come into work. In fact, he'd woken up to a message from the man himself, reminding him that he had to come into work.

They'd had less than two hours of sleep and Bickslow really wasn't in the mood to do the whole corporate-drone thing. It was precisely why he'd forgone the annoying tie and the uncomfortable shoes, opting instead for his way too comfortable bright red Converse. He didn't even have his shirt tucked in, and honestly, his unusual choice of attire was probably why everyone had been looking at him weirdly as he walked past. Well, that, and he was late for work.

And then there was the whole Veronica and the affair issue that was no doubt still going around the office.

So as he pushed the door to his office open, he ran his hand through his hair that he couldn't be particularly bothered with for once, and he ducked his head, looking towards the ground as he crossed the room to his desk.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Theroux."

Bickslow looked up suddenly at the voice to see a young man with short dark hair, similar to Laxus' and with dark rectangular glasses. His hand was outstretched, obviously waiting to shake Bickslow's hand.

"Uh… Hi…" Bickslow mumbled, hesitantly grasping the other man's hand to shake it lightly before he moved around to the other side of his desk to take a seat in his leather chair, shrugging his jacket off and letting it drape over the back. "Who are you exactly?"

The man chuckled nervously as he sat down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk and reached into a messenger bag, pulling out a sheet of paper and sliding it towards Bickslow. "Oh, I apologise," he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a smile. "I'm James. James Lawton. Your human resources block called me on Friday afternoon to ask if I'd be able to come in for an interview first thing this morning."

 _Oh… Right…_

Bickslow had gotten a memo before he'd left on Friday that he'd have to interview people on Monday, but he never knew when during the day. Hell, he actually felt kinda bad for being late. Sure, he was only half an hour late, but still, Bickslow had no idea how long the guy had been waiting for him.

So as he looked down at the resume, he rolled the sleeves of his dark grey shirt up to his elbows. Bickslow didn't really understand any of what was on the resume. He didn't really know what he was supposed to be looking for in a new secretary, either, so what good would reading a resume do anyway?

Sitting back in his chair and folding his arms, Bickslow looked up to the apparent college graduate sitting opposite him, awaiting his response anxiously, it seemed. "Tell me why I should hire you?" Bickslow asked.

James sat up straighter, folding his hands in his lap as he looked directly at Bickslow. There was an air of confidence around him, and honestly, Bickslow liked it, even though he knew nothing about the guy. "Well, I've worked as a receptionist and a personal assistant before, so I'm aware of the responsibilities for this job and I'm confident I can do all of them at a high standard," he said, never averting his gaze or losing his small smile. "I actually used to work for my father as his assistant, so I'm familiar with the task load since it was a similar size company and—"

"Why'd you leave that job?" Bickslow interrupted. So far, James seemed like he'd be pretty good at his job, but why would he leave? Especially when his father was his boss.

"Forgive me for being so blunt, and please excuse my language," he said, lowering his head slightly to look towards his lap. "But my father is an asshole and a terrible person to work for."

Bickslow suddenly burst out laughing as he rocked back on his chair. He didn't know why he found it so funny; perhaps it was from the lack of sleep. But something about it was hilarious. Bickslow really liked the kid. That was for sure.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he chuckled, finally sitting forward again. "I shouldn't have laughed. Sorry."

"It's alright." James said, the corner of his mouth pulling into a slight smirk as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

As Bickslow regained his composure, he leant forward on his desk slightly, his arms folded just in front of the closed laptop. "Alright, so, you're obviously qualified for the job," Well, Bickslow hoped he was. But from what he'd heard so far, he seemed like it. "And you have experience…"

"If you'd liked to see some reference letters, I have them here in my bag—"

"No need," Bickslow said, raising a hand to cut him off. "Honestly, kid, I don't have the energy to sit through countless interviews, and you seem pretty interesting and I'm assuming you want the job."

James nodded vigorously. "Very much so, Mr. Theroux."

Bickslow inwardly groaned at the use of his last name. He'd always hated people using his last name, and it was part of the reason most people didn't know it. That, and Veronica had kind of ruined it for him, as weird as it was. So sitting back slightly and opening up his laptop to turn it on, he stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. "Right," he mumbled. "Well, any chance you can start today?"

James' face lit up suddenly. "O-Oh, right away, if you'd like!"

"Good." Bickslow reached into the pocket of his pants to pull out his phone to place it on his desk in the corner. He looked back up to James. "Firstly, I need you to go get me the biggest cup of coffee you can possibly find. There's a café on the second floor of the building, or you can go to the one that's a few buildings down. I don't care which, I just need coffee." Hell, he needed a lot of it.

"Of course, Mr. Theroux!" James beamed as he suddenly stood up to reach his hand across the desk again for another handshake, except in his excitement from getting hired so quickly, he knocked the photo frame that sat on the edge of the desk to the ground. "Oh, I apologise, sir," he said quietly, his face quickly becoming a shade of red as he reached down to pick up the small frame. "Oh my god."

Bickslow looked up again to see James staring down at the photo in his hands as he slowly rose to his full height again. "What is it?" Bickslow asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. He didn't know why the photo warranted such a reaction.

James quickly placed the frame back on the desk. "Oh, I'm sorry… I just… I don't mean to pry or anything…" he mumbled, looking around before he turned to pick up his messenger back from beside the chair he'd been sitting on.

"Just spit it out already."

"I just…" James sighed before he looked up, finally meeting Bickslow's questioning gaze. "Is that Lucy Heartfilia? In the photo?" he asked quickly.

Bickslow blinked a few times, sitting back again. "Huh?" _Why does he want to know if it's Lucy…?_

"I'm sorry, she just looks a lot—"

"It's her," Bickslow cut in suddenly. "But why did you want to know?"

James' face lit up again with a wide grin. "I've been a huge fan of her work for years," he said quickly. "Her short stories in the Magnolia Times were amazing, and her book. Oh god, it's a great book. Have you read it? I'm sure you have, I mean, you seem to have a family—"

"Alright, kid. Calm down." Bickslow chuckled as he leant forward again, briefly looking down towards the computer to put in his password before looking back up to see James fidget awkwardly where he stood. "Coffee?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh! Yes! Right, sorry!"

And as James suddenly rushed for the door, now aware what his first task of his new job was, Bickslow shook his head. "Cappuccino, please," he called before James could get out of his office. As soon as the door had been left to close gently on its own, Bickslow glanced up to the photo frame on the corner of his desk.

It was a nice photo, honestly.

But he hated it. Because it had the other Bickslow in it and he really hated seeing the other Bickslow, even though they were just photos.

Reaching into the top drawer of his desk, he pulled out a pad of sticky notes and ripped one off and stuck it over his face in the photo. At least that way he didn't have to look at his own stupid face anymore. Instead, he'd just see Ingrid and Lucy.

And that, he was totally fine with.

So with a slight smile since he was somewhat proud of himself for not letting himself get angry from just the thought of the other Bickslow (though, he figured it probably had something to do with the fact he was too exhausted to really do anything, so that included get too irritated), he leant back in his chair again and stared at his computer screen, watching as his inbox filled up with emails, just from the weekend and the morning alone.

It was only when he saw a certain email from the H.R. block with the list of people he was supposed to be interviewing and when he was supposed to be doing so did he stop smiling. He'd hired the first guy on the list, which meant he had to get the rest of the interviews cancelled and let them know he'd already chosen his new secretary. So with a sigh, he reached for the phone on one side of his desk just so he could get the entire thing sorted out as quickly as possible.

Hell, the day was going to be long enough as it was; he didn't need to tell countless people that they should just go straight home as soon as they'd even walked into his office.

He didn't have the energy to do that.

* * *

"Bickslow?"

He blinked slowly as he idly swung the chair left and right. His head was resting in his palm with his elbow on the chair and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He'd just started with his third coffee and it was just past 10 a.m. It probably didn't help that he was in a meeting, and even when he wasn't tired he was fighting to stay awake.

"Bickslow…?" the voice said again, and Bickslow could only blink. He hadn't been listening to a thing anyone had been saying, and for the most part, he survived meetings just by sitting near Freed with his mouth shut. It was easier to just not say anything than risk saying something stupid, and it was the only time Bickslow would ever have that mentality. But suddenly there was a flick to the side of his head and his eyes widened in response before he shook his head lightly and rubbed his hand across his face.

"Hm? Sorry… Didn't really get any sleep," Bickslow mumbled, pushing himself up with his hands on the armrests of the plush leather chair to sit up straight. "What was it you were asking?" he asked, looking over the rest of the members around the conference table.

A man with thin grey hair just across from him sighed as he tapped his pen irately on the table. "I was asking if you managed to finish writing up that new draft," he said. Bickslow could only stare blankly back at the man, and after a long moment of silence where Bickslow had no idea what the guy was talking about, and then when the businessman was getting impatient, he said slowly, as if to make sure Bickslow would understand the words, "On the proposed gala next month…?"

"Oh!" Bickslow said suddenly. _I remember that one!_ Then, as he slouched in his chair again and brought a pen to his mouth to chew on the end, with a smirk he mumbled, "Yeah, no. It's not finished." He didn't even know why he was writing it in the first place, to be honest. From what he could tell, Bickslow's main job was to tell Laxus what was legal and what wasn't, just so they didn't break any laws and get major fines… Or piss off the chairman, who just happened to be Makarov. But, there were a few odd things Bickslow had come across that didn't really fit into his apparent job description, and writing up an outline on what the upcoming gala was for was one of those oddball jobs.

Bickslow could only be thankful that the thing was mostly finished in the first place, or so he assumed. Well, that's what Freed said when Bickslow had asked him about it the week before.

The man with the grey hair sighed and turned a page in his binder, shaking his head as he looked down. Bickslow didn't really care about that. He didn't mind that his apparent co-workers were seeing him as an incompetent fool as of late, because it was the truth. He'd been thrown into a job that he knew nothing about and it wasn't something he was going to pick up in a day. Sure, once he got into the swing of things, some things were easier to do, just like with the whole driving thing; they'd technically done it before and they were essentially just relearning things. His job was similar, because it almost felt like his brain knew what to do. Not that he could really explain that, of course. He just went with it, for the most part.

He did, however, care about what he heard muttered down the far end of the table.

"Maybe he should spend more time sleeping instead of cheating on his wife. He'd probably get his work done then."

Bickslow didn't even know if it was even called muttering, not when it was said loud enough for him to hear it – on purpose, at that. He was so over the entire situation and in his sleep-deprived state, he was not in the mood to put up with it.

Looking towards the asshole who decided to say what he was thinking, Bickslow nodded his head. "Oi, what's your name again?" Bickslow asked _almost_ politely.

The man looked towards Bickslow, his eyes going wide as he slowly looked around the conference table to see if anyone was going to be getting him out of the predicament he was now in. No one was willing to help him, of course, and they all just shrugged or shook their heads. Evergreen was smirking, much like Freed and Laxus were, just because they knew Bickslow wasn't in the mood to put up with it. Erza, Natsu, and Gray (when they looked up and stopped playing on their phones for once) were just watching with interest.

"It's Harry, you know—"

"Right, Harry," Bickslow interrupted, swinging back on his chair again as he idly twisted the pen between his teeth. "Maybe you should mind your own goddamn business instead of gossiping about my personal life? I mean, I don't see how any of it has anything to do with you, unless I'm fucking _you_ , of course, which I'm not," he said harshly. Bickslow didn't think he was also sleeping with _him_. His secretary he could kind of understand (sort of), but not a guy in his fifties. Even Bickslow had his limits, in any world.

Right?

Before anyone could respond – Harry included, with his face red in his obvious anger towards Bickslow, probably for being rude – Laxus cleared his throat loudly. "Right, can we get back to the meeting now?"

Mumbled affirmatives were heard around the table while Bickslow kept his eyes on Harry. He continued to smirk as he twisted the pen between his teeth, only because he knew the man now had an extreme dislike for him.

So as Bickslow tuned out again and began to idly swivel in his chair, everyone else in the meeting went back to doing what they were originally doing. Freed actually paid attention and listened to each annoying middle-aged man or woman prattle on about some policy or something-or-other, Erza pretended to know what was going on (and for the most part, she did, like Freed), Evergreen nodded every now and then and answered questions that were directed towards her as best she could, and Laxus scowled at Natsu and Gray as they argued quietly between themselves whenever they got asked something, too.

It was just another boring meeting for Bickslow, and he was glad that he only had to sit down with everyone on Monday and Friday. The rest of the week he was relatively free, only meeting with Laxus and Erza once a day like Natsu and Gray had to do. They usually just talked about what they were doing in their lives to keep up appearances rather than do their actual jobs.

But suddenly, when Bickslow was sure he was going to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door to the conference room and everyone turned to look towards the young man with the rectangular glasses who was pushing the glass door open.

"Mr. The—" James said quietly, only to stop himself to then correct himself. "Sorry, _Bickslow_ ," he said, shaking his head as he stood holding the door open. Bickslow had made James call him by his first name, because if he heard Mr. Theroux one more time, he was probably going to go insane. In two weeks alone, he'd heard his last name more than he had in a year. He hated it.

"What?" Bickslow asked, lifting his head from his hand to look at his new secretary with an eyebrow raised. He was sure the guy had been in the middle of training (not that he needed that much of it), so he had no idea why he was now interrupting the meeting… not that he was complaining, of course.

James looked down slightly, averting his gaze from everyone who was staring back at him. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but… I… I don't think I should—"

"Just spit it out already."

"Mr. Theroux," James said firmly, resorting to the formal title. "I do not believe you would appreciate the message I have to give you being said for all to hear."

Bickslow sighed as he pushed the chair back from the table and pushed himself to his feet and sluggishly walked over to the door. His arms were folded across his chest as he looked at James. "What do you have to tell me?" he asked, his voice laced with boredom.

Another furtive glance towards the table from James before he looked back up to Bickslow, and with a slight frown, he said as quietly and clearly as possible, "The hospital just called. They said your wife was brought in by someone called Mirajane."

"What? Why?" Bickslow demanded. He was beginning to panic and he was suddenly feeling very awake all of a sudden.

"I-I don't know… they wouldn't tell me anything else…"

"Is she still there?" Bickslow asked as he pulled the glass door open further, and when James nodded, he all but sprinted out of the door and towards the lift on that floor that was going to take its sweet-ass time to open. He needed to go to his office to get his keys and wallet… and his phone, which by that point was probably flat, and his jacket. But damn, why was his office suddenly feeling so far away? It was only two floors down, but still, it was an almost unnecessary detour because he really needed to get to Lucy.

He really needed to get to Lucy so he could find out what the hell had happened to cause Mira to take her there in the first place. Bickslow was incredibly worried about Lucy, and hell, he found himself worried about the baby and actually caring about it.

* * *

Lucy sighed as she threw her head back into the pillow, closing her eyes for just a moment. She was tired – incredibly tired, actually – but there was no way she could sleep. Not in a hospital, anyway. She was too uncomfortable lying there and waiting for her doctors to come back just to tell her that there was no reason for her to be lying in a hospital bed anyway.

She shouldn't have been here, but of course, Mira had freaked out and practically dragged her there. So she'd fainted briefly, so what? It wasn't that big of a deal. The only reason Mira had made that big of a deal was because she was pregnant and she wanted to make sure that both Lucy and the baby were fine. Lucy was positive that Mira had made a big fuss over nothing.

The only thing Lucy could be thankful for in that moment was that Bickslow wasn't there and that he didn't know what was going on. Mira had tried calling him, but of course, he hadn't answered any of the near seven-thousand times she'd called his phone. He was probably busy. Or asleep. Or his phone was dead.

It didn't matter. Lucy didn't want to make Bickslow worry more than he already was about her. He didn't need that on his plate as it was.

But damn it, her doctors had decided to run every test imaginable that could determine why Lucy had fainted, and really, it was only because Mira was making a massive scene and fretting, and apparently a few of the younger doctors had a thing for the ex-model. The guys were more or less just trying to impress her, which was weird. It was really just a bunch of blood tests for various things though.

Another sigh escaped Lucy's lips as she turned her head on the pillow behind her head, shifting her hips slightly to try and make herself more comfortable on the not-so-comfortable hospital bed that had her sitting slightly upright. She looked to Mira who was sitting on the chair by the side of her bed, Ingrid was sitting in her lap and she was playing with one of her many toys, squealing and babbling away.

"Mira, really," Lucy said softly, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watched her daughter play happily. "This is ridiculous. I'm telling you, I'm fine."

The eldest Strauss frowned as she looked up to Lucy. "Even if you are fine, it's still good to check just in case something is wrong, with you or the baby," she said.

"Nothing is wrong, I swear it," Lucy insisted. Then, quietly and slowly, she said, "Which brings me to something else… How do you know that I'm actually… You know, pregnant?"

"We, uh… We kind of coerced Bickslow into telling us when he picked Ingrid up on Friday…" she mumbled, giggling nervously as she looked down to Ingrid briefly. "He didn't really have a choice in telling us, actually."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Of course you guys did…"

It wasn't like Lucy was mad at Bickslow for confirming it, because she could actually see Mira and Levy ganging up on him to get the information out of him. Hell, Gajeel probably would have helped. But on the other hand, she wasn't exactly glad he'd told them, just because she didn't know what she was going to do about it. It wasn't going to be a decision she would take lightly.

Hell, none of the decisions regarding the baby she was carrying would be taken lightly.

So with another sigh, she reached for the large cup filled with water on the tray that was sitting just in front of her, and she brought the straw to her lips to take a long drink from it. Lucy knew exactly why she'd fainted, and it was from a mix of both complete exhaustion and dehydration. She'd barely had two hours of sleep before she was up with Bickslow and going about their usual morning routines. For Lucy, that meant spending a fair majority of it hunched over the toilet. Today was by far the worst she'd felt, and she could only be glad that Mira had come to visit just after Bickslow had left for work, and was helping her with Ingrid.

But it was kind of her own fault she was sitting in hospital anyway. Lucy had pushed herself too hard when she knew she shouldn't have, but, if she focused on something else, she could get through the day a lot easier. So she'd pushed herself to be busy; she'd tried to ignore the fact she'd felt like she was going to fall asleep any minute and that the nausea had been worse been usual. She'd had things to do and a baby to look after. She hadn't had time to worry about herself.

She'd barely been able to keep anything down without wanting to throw it back up, so for the most part, she just hadn't eaten that morning. Most days she'd found she was okay, but that day… That day had just been so much worse. She could barely even keep water down, and it was part of the reason she'd felt so dehydrated. Her body was expelling more than she could replace, and she reasoned it was definitely a big part of the reason she'd fainted.

But she'd kept ignoring it. She'd kept ignoring the headache that had been getting progressively worse throughout the morning and she'd ignored how heavy her lids were getting. And, as best she could, she'd tried to ignore how dizzy she'd been getting.

Until she actually fainted, of course.

And Lucy still thought she was fine. It was nothing to make a big deal over. She'd just made a few mistakes over the course of the morning and she'd stopped caring about what her body needed, because she still thought she didn't have time to worry about herself.

Because if she worried about herself, then she'd remember just how confusing and bad things were for her at the moment.

* * *

The traffic in Magnolia was an absolute bitch, no matter what the time of day was. As soon as the taxi had pulled up to the hospital entrance, Bickslow quickly mumbled his thanks and paid the fare, then pushed the door open and ran for the doors to the emergency room; the same doors he'd walked out of only six hours earlier.

As soon as a nurse had led him to the room where Lucy apparently was, he'd burst into the room. Bickslow breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he saw Lucy sitting on the bed, looking more stunned than anything, and he quickly crossed the room and pulled her into a hug with his arms tightly wrapped around her.

He could feel his heart slowly return to a more reasonable pace, just from seeing that she looked okay. He was still worried about why she was there at all, but if she looked fine, then that was a good sign.

It had to be. Right?

"Shit, Lucy," he breathed. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lucy sighed as she sat back on the bed with Bickslow finally let go of her. "What are you even doing here?"

"The hospital called me at work," Bickslow said with a shrug as he straightened up and looked towards Mira and Ingrid who was stretching her little arms above her head and her legs out, apparently having woken up when Bickslow burst into the room. Mira had a certain shine to her eyes, one that Bickslow had seen all too many times before and he knew exactly what she was thinking. But, he couldn't deal with that right now. Mira could start _shipping_ himself and Lucy together for all he cared. It didn't matter, because he was only worried about Lucy in the current moment and not about whether or not they'd make a cute couple or cute babies (because, they'd already established they made cute babies, because Ingrid was the perfect example of that). So turning back to Lucy as she stared back at him with pursed lips, Bickslow asked again, "What happened though?"

Lucy reached for the cup of water again and shrugged. She should have guessed the hospital would call Bickslow at work. Hell, they were technically married; the guy was probably on all of her emergency contact information. Not that it was an emergency, of course. It was nowhere near being an emergency.

"It doesn't matter what happened. I'm fine," Lucy insisted.

"She fainted," the eldest Strauss said suddenly.

"Mira!"

Bickslow looked between the two, his brow furrowing in concern before he focused on Lucy once again. "You fainted?" he asked quietly. Bickslow could feel himself begin to panic again. What if Lucy hit her head when she fainted? What if something was actually wrong? What if Lucy was sick?

What if something happened to the baby?

 _Shit. Why am I so worried about the baby all of a sudden? We don't even know if…_

Bickslow had to rub his hands over his face with a heavy sigh just to force himself to clear his thoughts. He couldn't let the last train of thought go on, because a part of him was scared about what the outcome of a particular decision would be; one that would decide whether he was going to have two kids or one. He felt like it was a conversation they needed to have, but for whatever reason, Bickslow felt like he had to leave the decision solely up to Lucy. Her life wasn't fair as it was, and he'd feel even more guilty if he said he wanted to keep the baby.

But that was the problem: the outcome. He really did want to keep the baby and he really didn't know why. He loved Ingrid a hell of a lot, and he felt as if he was already growing attached to the unborn baby she was apparently carrying. Bickslow didn't understand any of it, and that scared him just as much as the thought of what would happen if Lucy decided she wouldn't or couldn't actually keep the baby.

Bickslow didn't know what Lucy wanted to do, because she'd barely talked to him about it in the three days they'd known. But in just three – nearly four – days, a lot had changed, and it was scary how much things had. It terrified him. It was because Bickslow didn't know what Lucy wanted to do that he felt like he should leave the decision up to Lucy. He didn't want her to get stuck with something else that she didn't want to deal with. Even though it should be a decision a couple makes together, they weren't a couple, and that was the entire point. He felt like he didn't get a say in it, and he was strangely okay with that.

Even if Lucy decided she didn't want to keep the baby, Bickslow would still be there for her. He'd be there for her and try and help her get through anything and everything, if she let him, of course, and he always would.

As long as they were in that world and they had something keeping them connected, he would try and help her.

It was because he cared about her that he'd do that. In the last three days alone, everything had changed, and that included how he felt about Lucy. Drastically. It was how he'd felt after the shocking news of the affair that had made him realise his own feelings, and whether or not they'd always been there and he'd just never noticed them or linked them to anything romantic would always be a mystery. The point was that he cared about Lucy in that moment a lot, and as long as he cared and had feelings for her, he was going to be worried.

It was because he was worried about Lucy that he was worried about the baby.

Lucy rolled her eyes again and huffed in annoyance. "Yes, I fainted," she said irately. "It's no big deal. It's probably just because I was tired and I was trying to focus on something else and I was dehydrated because of the goddamn _morning_ sickness that won't leave me the hell alone." She paused to take another sip of the drink. Then, with her eyes narrowed, she finished with, "I'm only here because Mira threw a fit and all of the goddamn doctors are working overtime on pointless tests just to impress her."

Mira looked at her with wide eyes, and Bickslow spread his fingers over his eyes to peek through them as his brows knit together in confusion. They knew Lucy was annoyed by being in the hospital over nothing, (hell, it had taken Bickslow all of thirty seconds to realise that), but… that was something else. She'd almost… snapped. Like all of that frustration she'd had building up over the last few days had just been released then and had been channelled into her hatred of being in the hospital.

And her hatred for morning sickness, apparently.

But when Lucy's face went bright red with the realisation of what she'd just let out of her mouth, she ducked her head and laced her hands together in front of her stomach, twisting her fingers together. She hadn't really meant to say all of that, but… once she'd started, she couldn't stop herself. Lucy had to admit that it felt good to actually get it out though; she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders somehow, and even if it was just a tiny bit, she felt less stressed than she had been over the last few days.

It actually felt nice.

The room remained in silence for another few moments as both Mira and Bickslow tried to figure out just what had happened. But then that silence was broken when Ingrid let out a short high pitched giggle. When Bickslow looked down to see her sitting up slightly on Mira's lap and he dropped his own hands, he slowly and quietly began to chuckle. Bickslow didn't know why his daughter had laughed, but hell, it was funny. He had to admit that Lucy's outburst had been a little entertaining too, but he didn't think that's why Ingrid was laughing.

Unless it actually was, in which case, it was even more amusing.

But soon, Mira was left gawking at Bickslow as he leant forward with one hand on the foot of the bed and the other on his knee, laughing vivaciously, and at Lucy who was giggling just as uncontrollably. Hell, even Ingrid was positively squealing with delight, and Mira could only shake her head. Her parents had completely lost the plot and the kid was just as insane already. _She probably got Bickslow's sense of humour_ , Mira thought.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, Mira," Lucy choked out, her fingers brushing under her eyes as she tried her best to stop laughing. She wasn't doing very well though, not with Bickslow who had completely lost it. "I didn't mean to snap," she said once she'd taken a few deep breaths in between the short bursts of laughter.

"It's okay," Mira sighed as she snuck a glance at her watch on her wrist. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lucy. Blake finishes soon and I need to be at home before he gets dropped off," she said.

Bickslow suddenly had enough self control to straighten up and reach out to take Ingrid from Mira when she stood from her chair. He lifted her up into the air as he backed up into the side of the bed and sat down near the end. His laughter had almost instantly died down, and as he sat Ingrid down on his lap and Mira finished gathering up her things, he turned to the eldest Strauss and asked, "Can you do me a favour?"

"Of course," Mira replied with a smile.

"Can you call Laxus and tell him I'm not going back—"

"Bicks, you don't have to stay. I told you I'm fine," Lucy interrupted with another small frown.

"Try and stop me from staying, Lucy," he said firmly. Then, his focus shifting back to Mira, he continued, "Just tell him I'll be in tomorrow, please." Laxus was probably going to get mad at him again, but really, he didn't care. He had more important things to worry about than an unsympathetic sparkplug.

* * *

Bickslow lifted his head from where he had it resting his open palm with his elbow on the armrest of the chair. Ingrid had fallen asleep in his lap, and even though he'd had way too much coffee in such a short period of time, Bickslow was still exhausted. The caffeine was refusing to kick in.

Lucy was beginning to get antsy, just because she wanted to go home. The longer she had to stay, the more she believed that she wasn't fine and there was actually something wrong; that it wasn't just exhaustion and dehydration that had caused her to lose consciousness, even if it really only had been very briefly.

The longer she stayed there, the more she began to worry about the baby she was carrying. And even though it had only been three days since she'd found out she was pregnant, with each minute that passed, she found herself caring more and more about it.

And that scared her, because she still didn't know what she wanted to do. She still needed to have that conversation with Bickslow, because no matter what happened or what the decision was regarding the baby, it was something they'd have to decide together.

Just like they had to look after Ingrid together.

But she'd only been in the hospital for a few hours. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be in there for, since the damn tests seemed to be taking forever.

"You feeling any better?"

Lucy turned at the soft voice to see Bickslow looking at her. She could see the concern in his eyes; the concern for her. As much as she enjoyed Bickslow's company – something she'd come to love more and more from just the last three days alone – she hated that he was worried about her. In the last three days, all he'd done is worry and care for her.

But even though she hated that Bickslow was worrying about her, there was a small part of her that… liked it, almost. It felt nice to know that someone outside of her team and best friends cared about her enough to be worried about her. Je cared enough about her to look after her when she needed it, and just to make sure himself that she was okay.

Lucy was beginning to see that she meant more to Bickslow than she'd originally thought, and whether or not he'd admit just how much he cared about her, it still felt nice to know that he was willing to do things like that.

The weird part was that Lucy actually wanted him to care about her, too. He made her feel safe and secure and he made her feel like everything would be fine. He made her laugh when she needed to, and he made her happy. He made her happy when she was sure the universe was out to get her and Lucy loved that Bickslow was able to do that.

The only problem was that everything had changed so much in those three days and she didn't know if what she was feeling was real or not. She didn't know if her feelings for Bickslow for real or not, and that scared her. More than anything, she wanted to _believe_ they were real, that they were there and actually her own, because she didn't want to lose any of what he could offer her. Lucy didn't want to lose that safe feeling that she got from being around him. She didn't want to lose that hope, and most of all, she didn't want to lose the happiness that she had been so set on never seeing again. She didn't want to lose any of it, and she didn't want to screw it up by letting her feelings and emotions get in the way.

She didn't want to lose Bickslow.

But was it selfish to want Bickslow? Was it greedy to want him all to herself?

Lucy truly didn't know whether it was or not. But for the time being, she would leave it. She would leave it and see where her emotions ended up taking her anyway. If she still felt something for Bickslow when she was ready to come back to it, then she'd deal with it then. Because right now, she had more important things to take care of.

So with a small smile and a slight nod, she said quietly, "A little better. I still have a headache, but they gave me something to help with the nausea just before you got here, so it's bearable."

"That's good," he said with a smile.

And so the room fell into silence again. Bickslow struggled to keep his eyes opened as he watched Ingrid smile softly in her sleep every now and then, and Lucy attempted to keep herself from panicking the longer she sat there in that bed.

Thankfully, though, the door finally opened, and when Claire's husband, Mark, walked in, a manila folder in his hands and a stethoscope around his neck, both Bickslow and Lucy had masks of confusion on their faces. They knew Mark worked at the hospital – they presumed a doctor – but neither expected him to walk in then.

"Ah, hello, Lucy," Mark said with a large smile before nodding to Bickslow. "Afternoon, Bickslow. And Ingrid, too."

"Hey…" Bickslow mumbled.

Mark turned back to Lucy who was still slightly confused, but when she saw her name on the front of the folder in his hands, she could feel her heart rate pick up. She was nervous, even though she believed that she was fine. Nothing was wrong. So, looking up from the file as he lifted a page, he said with a wink, "Sorry, I temporarily took over your case." Then, lifting up another page and glancing down to it with a nod, he said cheerily, "Well, firstly, I believe a congratulations is in order, and secondly, looks like all of your bloodwork came back. Nothing looks to be too worrying, so I'd say it was just a bit of dehydration and exhaustion as the cause of your fainting spell."

Lucy sighed in relief. She felt like another weight had been lifted from her shoulders just to know that she was okay, and that there was nothing wrong. She'd been right. "So if that's all, does that mean I can go home now?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet, I'm afraid," Mark said, closing the folder and tucking it under his arm.

 _Oh… Never mind._ Lucy was back to beginning to panic. He just said she was fine, so why couldn't she leave? Unless something was actually wrong…

"Your admittance papers say you don't know how far along you are with the pregnancy, so I've arranged for a scan just after I'm done in here, so that should at least help clear that up for you two," he said. When Lucy nodded and she looked down to her hands in her lap, Mark continued, "And since you're not sure of that, I'm going to assume you haven't had a prenatal appointment yet?"

"Not yet…"

"As expected, which is why…" Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a card and handed it to Lucy. "I went to the liberty of making one for you with Dr. Delia. She's moved offices since you last saw her before Ingrid was born, so the new address is on the back of the card."

Lucy smiled weakly as she turned the card over in her hands. That's one of the things she'd been worried about – the appointments she knew she needed to make and go to. She'd even been putting off going to the hospital just so she could put off hearing what she'd already found out, but now that they'd taken her blood and confirmed it anyway, Lucy felt as if it was all becoming real. Not that it hadn't been real for the last three days, it was just that she'd been trying to get her head around it and think about what she was going to do.

"Also, since I heard from a nurse that you two were here with friends of yours until early this morning, I called Claire when I took over your case and asked her to watch Ingrid for the rest of the afternoon once you two leave, if that's fine with the two of you, of course," he said with another brilliant grin. When Lucy went to protest it, to say it was unnecessary, his hand went up and he said calmly, "I know I was over-stepping, but you two desperately need to get some rest. _Especially_ you, Lucy."

"Alright…" she mumbled, still not able to look up to face Mark. "Thank you for doing all of this, though. You really don't need to do more than you're required to…"

"It's no problem at all, Lucy. You know Claire and I are always willing to look after Ingrid," he said. He began to walk backwards towards the door, and after another nod to Bickslow, he turned back to Lucy with his hand on the door handle, and said, "Right, that's all I had to say. After this you'll be free to go home, I promise."

And before Lucy could even look up with the smallest of smiles, he was gone, and instead another doctor with a bright smile was wheeling in a machine with a monitor on the top of it.

So Lucy followed the doctor's instructions, answered the few questions that she was asked as best she could, and listened to everything else the woman had to say as she got everything ready for the ultrasound she knew she was getting.

Bickslow had moved the chair forward so he was sitting by the very edge of the bed. He'd moved Ingrid to cradle her in his arms, waking her from her nap as gently as he could, as he leant forward so he could see what was going on.

As Lucy laid back on the modified bed arrangement with a towel draped over her legs (when they'd said ultrasound, she hadn't expected it to be the _uncomfortable_ one), she turned her head to the side to stare at the screen, even though there was nothing on it yet. But there would be. Soon. Very soon.

And she was nervous. So very nervous.

But Bickslow was right there next to her and he was keeping her grounded. Even though she wasn't looking at him, just his presence in the room was keeping her from losing her mind, and his presence alone was enough.

Slowly, the picture on the screen changed as the doctor slowly and gently moved the probe around to get a better angle. "Now, if we can't find a heartbeat, there's no reason to worry. Sometimes it's just too early to pick it up," the doctor said with a reassuring smile as she glanced to Lucy before returning her focus to the screen, adjusting as necessary.

Lucy's own heart was beating a million miles an hour by that point. She wasn't worried about the baby's heartbeat (or lack thereof), because she was almost certain her own was going to explode it was working that damn hard.

But she was okay. Everything was going to be okay. Everything was going to be fine, because Bickslow promised that everything was going to be fine.

"But it looks like you two are in luck, because there's your baby right there," she said, pointing to the small black shape on the monitor. "And it looks like we were able to find a heartbeat today, so I'd say you're around six weeks, judging by that and the size. You'll get a more accurate reading at your next scan though, and they'll be able to calculate your due date."

She'd honestly stopped listening to the ultrasound technician as soon she'd mentioned the heartbeat and pointed out the baby. Lucy's breath caught as she heard the faintest heartbeat from the screen, and for whatever reason, it seemed to ease her worries. There was a heartbeat. She could see it and she could hear it. There was a baby, because she could see it. There was a living thing inside of her.

For some reason, just seeing it on the screen made her happier than she ever expected.

* * *

The taxi ride home had mostly been in silence, with the only sounds coming from Ingrid. Lucy didn't know what to say and neither did Bickslow. Just seeing the baby and hearing the heartbeat of the tiny living thing inside of Lucy, made it seem so much more real.

Bickslow had been pretty sure he had tears well up in his eyes as soon as he'd seen it, and almost instinctively, he'd held Ingrid just a little bit tighter. Just seeing the baby on the screen had an indescribable feeling of joy wash over him. But he couldn't say that to Lucy. He had to try and seem indifferent, because he still didn't want her to have to do anything she didn't want to.

So as soon as they'd gotten back to the apartment and Ingrid was with Claire for the rest of the afternoon and their apartment door was closed behind them, Lucy stopped. She stood in front of the door with her arms by her sides and looked towards Bickslow. "Bicks, we need to talk…" she said quietly.

And Bickslow knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. He'd seen it coming a mile away, and even though he was worried about what she'd say, he needed to hear it. He needed to hear whatever it was she'd decided, because Bickslow knew she had. As soon as he'd seen that baby with a heartbeat on the screen, he knew exactly what he wanted.

But what _he_ wanted didn't matter. It was about what Lucy wanted. That's just how Bickslow saw things.

Lucy really had decided though. As soon as she'd heard that heartbeat, she knew exactly what she wanted to do, and even though Lucy was positive it was a decision she shouldn't have made on her own and so quickly, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do anything other than what she'd decided.

So with a steadying breath, she said quietly, "Look, I know neither of us wanted this… And that it's unexpected and honestly at a bad time with everything that's going on… But, this baby… I can't… I couldn't… I could never…" she trailed off into silence, feeling the anxiety and worry rise within her once again. She was so worried about what Bickslow wanted, because what if her decision was the exact opposite of what _he_ wanted? What was she going to do then?

She needed Bickslow in her life. She needed Bickslow to help her get through everything.

Bickslow could already feel his heart begin to break from her words. She can't? She couldn't? What couldn't she do? Keep the baby? Is that what she was going to say? He didn't want to hear the words, because it was going to devastate him. Just a heartbeat alone had made everything so real, and now that reality was going to be taken away.

But he couldn't do anything, if that's what she decided to do. It was a decision that he had to let her make because Lucy was the priority. If she didn't want the baby, then Bickslow would have to be okay with it. He'd have to get over his own pain from it to continue helping her with her own pain – her pain from something his other self had done.

So Bickslow waited for the words that he was certain she was going to say. He braced himself for the inevitable."

"I want to keep the baby."

And Lucy really did. As soon as she'd seen that heartbeat, the baby she was carrying became her baby. It was _her_ baby, just like Ingrid was _her_ daughter.

Even though at first she'd been completely shocked and shaken to her very core over finding out, and even though she'd been in denial about it, she had completely accepted it. She was pregnant, and she was one-hundred percent aware of it. No denial, just acceptance.

Everything had changed so much in three and a half days that it was scary. It was truly terrifying. But… She'd had Bickslow for those days, helping her through it all. He was helping her through the worst of times and making her believe that everything was going to be okay.

But saying she wanted to keep the baby was risking it all. She was risking losing Bickslow, and she really, really wanted to keep both. She needed Bickslow. She needed him to help her, and she needed him to help her through things and support her more so than ever. But, if Bickslow didn't want the baby, then she'd lose it all anyway, and even though it had only been a few short days of having Bickslow so close to her, Lucy didn't know what she'd do if she lost that.

"You… You really want to keep the baby?" Bickslow asked quietly, his brow furrowed. He wasn't sure if he'd heard the right words. Surely not. It had to have been his mind playing tricks on him, making him hear what he wanted her to say.

Lucy looked down with a slight nod. "I do."

She wanted to keep the baby. She really wanted to keep the baby. Bickslow hadn't been imagining it.

He closed the distance between them in one swift movement and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the tightest hug he could, and lifted her off the ground. He couldn't help but sigh loudly against the crook of her neck when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He was so happy in that moment, and he didn't even truly understand why.

But hell, she was keeping the baby.

Lucy pulled her head back from where it was resting on his shoulder and looked back to Bickslow. She could see the sheer joy in his eyes alone and it made her heart melt, just knowing that Bickslow also wanted to keep the baby. Just from what she saw alone, she knew that was the case. Lucy was so happy in that moment, and it wasn't just because she was having a baby (which, for the first time in nearly four days, she was ecstatic about), but it was because she knew Bickslow was going to stay by her side. Bickslow was going to be there for her through everything; he was going to help her when she needed help, he was going to make her laugh when she needed to, and he was going to make her feel safe and like everything was okay.

And in that moment, she knew that everything really was going to be okay. Because she had Bickslow. Bickslow was going to make everything okay.

Biting on her bottom lip slightly as the corners of her mouth pulled up into a small smile, and as a watery laugh escaped, she whispered, "Bicks, we're going to have another baby."

"We really are."

And for the first time, they both admitted out loud and to each other, as well as themselves, that they were indeed having another baby. Everything felt so real, and even though they were both in chaotic emotional states from everything that was going on their lives, they were both completely overjoyed. They were really having a baby, and they weren't afraid to show just how damn happy that made them.

But then suddenly, almost entirely without thinking about it, Lucy moved her hands from his shoulders and took his face in her hands, and quickly pressed her lips to his.


	20. Chapter 20

Before Bickslow even got a chance to react, Lucy had pulled back after leaving her lips pressed to his for just a short moment, and as soon as she did, her face went a bright red as she realised just what she'd done.

She couldn't believe she'd just kissed Bickslow, and she didn't entirely know why she had in the first place. But holy fucking hell, it wasn't like she was regretting it either, because somehow, it had felt like the right thing to do in that moment.

The only problem was that Bickslow was still staring at her, his own eyes wide with shock as he kept his arms crossed behind her waist and kept her pinned to him. Lucy didn't really want to have to say sorry, but the longer he just stood there, holding her up, the more she felt like she had to.

But Bickslow really did not want her to apologise. He just was confused, and he was really just trying to figure out if it had actually happened; if _she_ had actually kissed _him._ More than anything, he was just trying to figure out what he was going to do next. Did he put her down finally and just pretend it never happened? Because the way she was looking at him made it seem like it had shocked her just as much as it had him. Or, did he kiss her back?

Just what the hell was he supposed to do?

She averted her gaze then, finally breaking away from the dark red eyes with the even darker rings in the iris, and looked down slightly. She almost felt as if she'd screwed up again, like she'd screwed up the relationship she already had with Bickslow, just because her brain had decided to say _to hell with it_ and do something that she apparently really wanted to do.

"Oh… Oh my god… I'm… I didn't…" she spluttered after a long moment of silence, her eyes wide as she finally dropped her hands from his face. It had been too long and she was certain she'd done something incredibly stupid. "I'm sor—"

 _Fuck it,_ Bickslow thought then. All it had taken was her to begin to apologise for Bickslow to make up his mind (finally), and quickly, he pushed her back into the door and tilted his head enough to capture her lips and bring her head back up. He wasn't going to let her apologise. Not for that. Ever.

And as soon as his lips touched hers, she couldn't help but let out the quietest of sighs against them and close her eyes, and let her body take over for her. Lucy hadn't been aware of how much she wanted that, not until she'd kissed him. But now, she was able to see that her own feelings were really truly hers, and she was actually glad they were there.

So as Bickslow kissed her, letting it be driven by how much he'd wanted to do it for weeks, he dropped his hands to her hips, keeping her pinned between his body and the door. He was lost to it then, only focusing on Lucy and how _she_ was kissing him back; he could feel how much she had wanted it, because she was putting just as much passion and desire into at as he was. And at that moment, there wasn't a single doubt in either of their minds about how much they actually wanted each other.

Never in her wildest dreams did Lucy ever expect to want Bickslow (or need him, for that matter). She never expected to be pinned to a door and kissing him with everything she had like he was with her. But, she also never expected to be pregnant. Or married, sort of. Or already have a daughter. And all of that was with Bickslow, and if anyone had told her a little over a month earlier that she'd have all of that, then she would have fallen over laughing.

Never once did she expect to get thrown into the most chaotic, slightly dysfunctional, and downright weird life that she now had, but… She was learning that it wasn't all that bad. The less she fought her new life, the more she enjoyed it.

She'd learnt to embrace the chaos.

But then, there was a knock on the door she was pushed against, and she tipped her head back into it, pulling away from Bickslow as he kissed the side of her mouth before pressing his forehead against the door. "God fucking damn it," he muttered. Why the hell was there someone at the goddamn door? Why the hell did they have to interrupt?!

So with a sigh, Bickslow gently lowered Lucy to her feet once she unwound her legs from where they'd been around his hips, and stood back and gave her room to get around him. When there was another knock on the door, he rolled his eyes and finally pulled it open, except once he did, he got shoved to the side as the visitors barged in.

"Oh my god! Lucy! Are you okay?!" Erza said with a heavy sigh as she rushed past Bickslow and to the blushing blonde, throwing her arms around Lucy.

"What even happened?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, Luce!" Natsu added. "Why the hell were you in hospital?"

Bickslow could see the shock and confusion on her face as Gray and Natsu piled on top of her, leaving her completely surrounded by her team and unable to move a single muscle. And as much as Bickslow didn't particularly want any of them there, there was nothing he could do about it. He'd love to know how they found out she was in hospital in the first place, but he could find that out later.

Gently, he closed the door to the apartment, and with another sigh, he turned and headed down the hall slowly while running a hand back and forth through his hair. There was no reason for him to stay out there, and he didn't really want to, either. Besides, he was pretty much exhausted, so, he was going to take advantage of Claire looking after Ingrid for the rest of the afternoon, so that meant sleeping.

Lucy watched as Bickslow disappeared down the hall, and she waited until she was sure Bickslow was in the bedroom before she attempted to push her friends off of her. She didn't really understand why they'd come over, nor did she know how they'd found out. But, they were her friends, and they were worried about her. She didn't really want them there either, because she really was on the verge of falling asleep now that she was back home, but she had to at least indulge their worries and concern for her.

"Guys, I'm okay," she said quietly, pushing Natsu and Erza off of her as best she could once Gray had taken a step back. "Really, I'm fine. You can get off me now…" Hesitantly, they did (with a bit of help from Gray), and Lucy was able to walk over to the sink, and she grabbed a glass from the dishwasher and filled it up with water.

Erza sighed as she folded her arms. "But why were you in the hospital anyway? Are you hurt?"

"Erza, I wasn't hurt. It was just something silly, that's all. But I'm okay now. I promise."

"But what happened?" Gray asked, taking a seat on one of the stools at the counter.

"I, uh… I fainted," Lucy said quietly before she took a quick sip from the glass. "No big deal." And really, it never was a big deal, and it never would be a big deal.

"What?!" the three of them shouted together.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Calm down, alright?" she said, and she didn't hide how irritated she was getting, either. She just didn't have enough energy to put up with it. "It was a stupid mistake, so can you all please just stop freaking out? I've already had enough of that today, and really"—she paused briefly to wave a hand down her body as she took a step back from the sink—"I'm okay. Nothing is wrong and I'm completely fine." Well, as fine as she's going to get, considering she was pregnant. But she was okay with that. She really was.

There was a moment of silence as they all stared back at her, still a little concerned about her health, and just a tiny bit scared of her, having sensed the rising level of annoyance within the blonde.

"But… you could have hit your head—" Erza started, only to be cut off by Lucy with a menacing look.

"Erza," she said in warning. "I didn't hit my head."

"You could have…" Gray added quietly.

"But I didn't." And then Lucy turned to Natsu, because surprisingly, Natsu had said the least. She raised an eyebrow when he saw the confused expression on his face and watched him look around the apartment with interest. "Natsu, what is it?" she asked quietly.

Natsu's brow furrowed even further as he turned in his spot, looking down the hall, and then to the lounge, and then back to the kitchen and dining side, and up to Lucy. "Don't you usually have a kid—"

"Ingrid."

"Yeah, that's the one," he said and shrugged it off. "Isn't she usually here?"

"Well, yeah—"

"Oh my god," Erza interjected suddenly. "Where's Ingrid? Did something happen to her?!"

Lucy groaned in annoyance as she placed the glass back down on the bench and slowly headed towards the door. She was quickly running out of patience with her team, and had she not been so tired, she probably wouldn't have been getting so easily irritated by them… But today, she just couldn't deal with them.

With her hand resting on the handle, she looked back to her team who were watching her in anticipation, and said, "Ingrid's fine. She's being looked after by someone else at the moment, because right now, I really need to sleep, and I can't do that with a six-month old." Then, she twisted the handle and pulled the door open, leaving it wide open. "Now, I know you guys are worried, but you don't have to be. But please, I really need to go and get some rest, so if you wouldn't mind…"

There was another long moment of silence as they all stared back her, before they slowly began to shuffle towards the open door. "Are you sure we don't have to be worried?" Gray asked quietly as he crossed the threshold and made it into the hall.

"I'm sure," she said softly with a small smile. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow or something, alright?" And when they all nodded and smiled back at her in understanding, she gently closed the door behind her.

It had only been a short conversation, but she felt as if it had drained the last of her energy. She oh so desperately needed to get some rest before she passed out from just exhaustion alone, so sluggishly yet as quickly as she could manage, she carried herself down the hall, and as soon as she'd made it into the dark bedroom, she kicked off her flats by the edge of the bed. Once her head had hit the soft pillow, she sighed in contentment and closed her eyes.

"How did they even know I was in hospital?" she asked quietly, the side of her face pressed into the pillow as she rolled onto her side and slowly opened her eyes again.

Bickslow opened his own eyes as he lazily pushed himself to lie more on his side to face Lucy. "I have no idea," he mumbled. Then, after a moment of just looking at Lucy, blinking slowly, he lifted his arm up and whispered, "Come here." He didn't know if he was making things weirder than they already were, but… Over the last few days, he'd really enjoyed being able to hold her close.

After a moment's hesitation, Lucy shuffled across the mattress and closed the distance between them, letting his arm drape over her waist as she lifted her head and pulled her pillow closer to where she now lay. Even though she didn't know where she stood with Bickslow now, she still liked being close to him. None of that had changed, regardless of how awkward things felt between them, because they could both see that something was there; there was something there but neither wanted to be the one to bring it up. Neither wanted to screw up what they already had by going into something that neither really expected to happen.

But Lucy could worry about all of that later, and so could Bickslow. What they felt for each other wasn't as important as how much they both needed to sleep, because without sleep, they would make terrible decisions.

So with a soft smile on her lips, Lucy made herself comfortable as Bickslow's arm around her pulled her in even closer. She could already feel herself drifting off to sleep as she closed her eyes again, and for the first time in nearly four days, Lucy wasn't really worried about anything. Because in that moment, she felt safe, warm, and most of all, happy.

And that was because of Bickslow.

* * *

Bickslow was the first to wake up later that evening, and as he slowly did so, he rolled onto his back gently, leaving one arm under Lucy as the one that had been over her rubbed at his eyes. He hadn't expected to actually stay like that, holding her, but apparently they had – for as long as he'd been asleep, anyway. It wasn't like it felt bad though, because honestly, it was nice. Bickslow was glad that Lucy was comfortable enough to stay like that.

Granted, they'd woken up in a slightly more awkward and unfortunate position before (which Bickslow was still mortified by), and since he'd been sleeping in the bed rather than on the lounge, there were definitely times they'd woken up closer than where they'd gone to sleep, which in most cases was on the outer edges of the bed. If they were asleep, they couldn't really do much about it.

Bickslow reached out to grab his phone from the nightstand and fiddled with the cord, trying to unplug it so he could lift it up and look at the screen. It took his eyes a few moments to adjust once he looked at the bright screen and the text on the lock screen.

 ** _6:42PM_**

 ** _23 missed calls._**

 ** _9 unread messages._**

 ****He wasn't the least bit surprised to see that eighteen of those calls were from Mira, one from an unknown number, two from Laxus, one from Erza, and another from Gajeel. The messages were from the same people too: Mira screaming at him in all capitals about why he wasn't answering his phone, Laxus asking what happened with Lucy (how he knew anything was wrong was still beyond Bickslow), another from Gajeel letting him know that Levy and the twins would be leaving the hospital in the morning so they could bring Lily back once they were home. It was only at that point though that Bickslow realised he'd forgotten they'd brought Lily back with them after they'd left the hospital that morning.

After scrolling through the rest of the messages, clearing the call log, and skimming over a few of his various accounts to see if there was anything new and entertaining to read (because really, most of the things he saw on his social networking accounts were just people bitching about other people or their jobs, and it was highly amusing to Bickslow, even though he understood almost none of it), he gently placed his phone back on the nightstand and turned his attention back to Lucy, who was leaning on his arm.

He found himself in a bit of dilemma. On one hand, Lucy still looked like she was fast asleep, and she looked too peaceful to wake her up. Besides, she needed her rest (like, legit, doctor's orders), and Bickslow didn't want to disturb that. On the other hand, though, he needed to go and pick up Ingrid from Claire, since it was already getting late and Ingrid would be going to bed for the night soon. That, and Bickslow didn't particularly like the fact that over the last few days, they'd been almost too happy to have other people look after her while they deal with their own problems, and that wasn't okay.

But if he had to choose between Lucy and Ingrid in the current situation, he'd choose Ingrid, just because they'd been asleep all afternoon. Lucy could sleep later.

So gently, Bickslow pulled his arm free from where it was under Lucy, and he remained still for a moment as she shifted slightly, getting comfortable once again and seemingly remaining asleep. Bickslow was a little confused as to how she'd stayed asleep, but hey, if it didn't wake her, then it was kind of a win for him. But, he was probably going to wake her up on purpose once he'd gotten Ingrid back, just because if she stayed asleep, she'd end up staying awake all night and then she'd be tired during the day, and she'd probably have a hard time looking after Ingrid if she was exhausted.

Besides, he didn't particularly want to be making any more trips to the hospital any time soon.

After quietly slinking out of the room, Bickslow ran a hand through his hair haphazardly, and as he walked down the hall and towards the door just ahead, he switched the appropriate lights on for the hall and living area on as he walked past them, bathing the large room in even more light and making the city below and around them seem almost dark in comparison, with the blue and green lights in every other window.

A quick knock on the door to Claire and Mark's apartment just opposite their own, and soon, Bickslow was greeted by the sight of the older woman, her hair in a tight bun atop her head, and Ingrid in her arms, yawning. "Hello, Bickslow," she said cheerfully.

"Hey," he replied, smiling as he looked at Ingrid. "Sorry, I would have come over earlier to take her off your hands, but, yeah… Only just got up then."

"Oh it's no problem at all," Claire said with a bright smile as she gently held Ingrid out to Bickslow, and once he had her with her head against his shoulder, Claire turned and went back into the apartment to gather up Ingrid's things. Looking over her shoulder as she put them all into the large bag, she said, "Ingrid's a delight compared to my two boys. Those two were an absolute nightmare growing up. Of course, one of them now has his own little nightmares to look after, so I do enjoy watching him suffer just a little bit."

"I know she's not like, extremely difficult or anything." Or maybe she was, and Bickslow was just biased because he loved her too much. It wasn't like Bickslow had experience with difficult children (or children in general for that matter), but he didn't think Ingrid was anything other than a delight to look after, as Claire had called her. The more they learned about being a parent and fell into a natural sort of rhythm and routine, the easier it got, so really, Bickslow didn't think Ingrid was anything close to being difficult… for the most part, at least. "But still, I'm sure you had better things you could have been doing all afternoon," he mumbled, taking the bag from Claire and swinging it over his shoulder.

She shrugged as she followed Bickslow back to her door. "It really is fine, Bickslow," she said. Then, as she stood in the doorway with one hand on the edge of the door and the other on the frame, she cleared her throat and as Bickslow turned back to look at her, an eyebrow arched curiously, she mumbled, "But speaking of little nightmares… Mark might have said something about the two of you expecting another?"

"Oh… Uh…" Bickslow didn't really know how to respond to that. Telling Gajeel, Levy, and Mira had been something else, because they were their actual friends, and besides, they'd only found out because they were pressuring Bickslow at the time. With Claire, though… It wasn't like she wasn't really a friend, because she kinda was. It was just that Bickslow wasn't sure if they were actually telling anyone else about the baby, now that they were keeping it.

But what if Lucy decided she really didn't want to keep it though? What if she hadn't actually meant it, and that her exhaustion had just made her confused and made her think that that was what she really wanted?

 _No, that couldn't be it_ , Bickslow thought. Lucy had seemed far too excited for that (just like he had been), so surely, that was what she really wanted. It had to be. Of course, he'd still have to find out later, just to make sure. He needed to know that she'd meant it, and it hadn't just been the exhaustion speaking.

Besides, though, Bickslow kind of wanted to tell Claire. She basically already knew, and Bickslow assumed it had been when Mark had called her and asked her to watch Ingrid so they could get some much needed rest (which, really, Bickslow was incredibly thankful for, because no matter how much coffee he'd had that morning, he'd fallen asleep relatively quickly). It wasn't like Claire would have anyone else to tell, anyway, because Bickslow didn't think she knew anyone that they also knew.

So really, was there any problem in actually confirming it?

Nodding as the corners of his mouth pulled up into a grin, he finally said, "Yeah, we are." Hell, it felt weird saying ' _we'_ considering he knew that they weren't really together or anything, but still, it was kind of true; _they_ were expecting another baby.

"Ah, congratulations then!" Claire beamed, a wide smile on her face. "I didn't think you two were planning on having another baby so soon after Ingrid."

"Uh… Well, we weren't…" he mumbled. It was true, and he had a feeling it would've been true for their other selves, too.

She chuckled as she took a step forward and looked at Ingrid, and as she wiggled her fingers just in front of her nose and Ingrid giggled, she said, "Well, sometimes, the things we don't plan for end up being the ones that make you the happiest." Then, as she straightened up and Ingrid returned her head to Bickslow's shoulder, she said with another light chuckle, "Ingrid knows that, don't ya, Ingrid?"

Bickslow could only look back at Claire with confusion. It was almost as if she was saying Ingrid had been unplanned, and until then, that had never crossed his mind. It wasn't like it really mattered whether or not she was, but hell, Bickslow was kind of curious. Maybe he'd see what Lucy thought… About both of them, actually.

"Yeah, well…" he mumbled, lifting up Ingrid just a little bit higher and readjusting the shoulder strap of the bag before he looked back up to Claire. "Anyway, thanks again for watching her," he said. Then, turning away slightly as Claire took a step back into her apartment, he added, "And tell Mark I said thanks, too, alright?"

Claire nodded as she began to close the door. "Will do. Enjoy the rest of your night, Bickslow."

"You too," he said, smiling slightly as he turned and headed for his own apartment, and as Claire's door closed and Bickslow reached his own, he looked down to Ingrid as he made sure he was holding her steadily in the one arm. "How about we go wake up Cosplayer?"

* * *

Lucy looked up from her book and over her shoulder briefly as she heard the bathroom door open and saw Bickslow walk into the room slowly, shrugging the baseball tee he usually slept in over his head. As Bickslow walked over to the light switch by the door to the hall, she returned her focus to the book and as Lucy made herself comfortable again, her head propped up in her hand as she lay on her side with the book on another pillow, she turned the page with her free hand and began to read the first line of words on the page.

She was so close to the end of the book with just a few pages left, and until she got it finished, she was going to ignore Bickslow because no doubt, once he climbed into the bed, he'd probably try and talk to her about the baby, which in all fairness, she had been hoping Bickslow _wouldn't_ bring up. Ever since their, well… kiss (or kisses, actually), they hadn't actually talked about it.

Or anything, really.

Basically, since waking up, their evening had been uneventful. Bickslow went and got Ingrid from Claire, they then played with Ingrid for a bit before Bickslow went about her bedtime routine and put her down to sleep, dinner (which for Lucy was really just toast, because she still didn't feel very well at all), Lucy had a shower, Bickslow argued with Laxus over the phone as to why he'd had to leave work to go to the hospital in the middle of a meeting (which Lucy felt a little bad over), and then she retreated to the bed to finish her book while Bickslow had his own shower.

They'd both been avoiding talking about the new issues they were confronted with: one being the baby, and two being just where the hell they stood as a couple.

Or not a couple, because they weren't one. They were just Bickslow and Lucy. Not Bickslow and Lucy _together_ … even though they were kinda married and kinda had a kid and were kinda having another kid.

And totally had feelings for each other.

It was just all too confusing, and it was part of the reason they were so good at avoiding things for as long as possible. Besides, it was kind of hard to have their own lives (whether they be together or not was a completely different issue entirely) when they were forced into keeping up the pretence of their old lives. Or, in that case, their counterpart's lives.

But she was so close to the end of the book, and ninety-eight percent of it had been driving her insane. Lucy just needed to finish it, because she still needed to know whether the guy got the girl in the end and vice versa, because the fair majority of it had been the main characters dodging their feelings. And it was a little ironic that it was similar to the situation that she was in then, and that the book had essentially been based on their lives.

Right then, though, she just really wanted to see what happened in the last few pages, because for some reason, she felt like if the book ended like how she so desperately wanted it to, then maybe, just maybe, whatever she actually had with Bickslow could work. You know, if _he_ wanted it to, because there was a part of Lucy that really wanted to explore that, and she wanted to explore the idea of a relationship with Bickslow.

"So…" Bickslow said quietly as he rolled onto his side with his posture almost mimicking Lucy's with his head supported by his hand, and his other arm resting on his side over the blanket. "Can—"

But then Lucy shushed him, turning the page again without looking up. She knew he would talk, but she was still wasn't ready to talk.

The book was more important right then.

So after staring at Lucy in confusion for a moment as he tried to figured out just what had happened in the space of roughly five and a half hours to give Lucy a reason to actually shush him before he could really say anything, Bickslow sighed and rolled onto his back, grabbing another pillow and propping his head and neck up with them as he reached for his phone on the nightstand again.

But then, only after a few more minutes of silence with the occasional page turn being heard, or Bickslow's chuckle as he read or watched something moronic and right up his alley, Lucy's quiet voice broke the silence, and Bickslow had been just about ready to have a heart attack until he realised she was reading from the book. He'd no idea what she was talking about.

 _"…and as she finally tore her gaze away from the star-filled night sky and the abundantly bright fireworks display coming from the guild on the other side of the town, she turned around to see the one person she never expected to be standing behind her; she saw him. And so many unexpected things had happened over the last year that it was strange that seeing him standing there in the same place their story had begun was the most unexpected of all. But really, was it that surprising? She asked herself. She'd been there to think; she'd needed to think about how she was going to handle things; she'd needed to think about what she was going to do about him. So maybe, just maybe, he'd been there for the same reason she had been._

 _"But as soon as she saw him, she knew she was done thinking. She was done running and pretending that how she felt wasn't the truth. No more avoiding it and no more putting it off and pretending it wasn't there._

 _"'I love you,' she said quickly, before he could even get a word in. Her heart was beating a thousand miles an hour as she stood there, just watching, waiting for something to happen. But he just stared at her, almost in disbelief. The sounds of the fireworks were drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears, but even if she wasn't so anxiously waiting for something – for him to tell her that she shouldn't love him, perhaps – she wouldn't have been listening, because in that moment, nothing else mattered; it was just them standing on the rooftop where everything had begun._

 _"But he continued to stare, and when she was beginning to feel stupid again, she quickly looked down at her hands as she laced her fingers together, begging herself to not let the tears that were filling her eyes fall, and as clearly as she could, she said, 'I'm sorry… I just—'_

 _"And then she was cut off as his fingers reached out to touch her chin and tilt her head up, and almost instantly, all of her worry and self-hatred for saying something so silly disappeared as his lips touched hers._

 _"'Never apologise,' he murmured against her lips, his hands pulling her closer. 'Not for that.' Of all the things she could be apologising for, he never wanted it to be that; he never wanted her to have to apologise for loving him, because he would never apologise for loving her._

 _"For months, he'd wanted to tell her how he felt, just because he felt it would stop the distance that had been growing between them with each passing day. But it was risky, and it was why he hadn't. Each day, they would grow further and further apart because neither could admit and accept their own feelings – to each other, let alone to themselves._

 _"But the further apart they got, the more he'd wanted to say it. He didn't want to lose her, but he didn't want to run from it anymore. It was scary, and it was taking a giant risk telling her. Either he told her and the distance between them finally closed, or he told her, and that was the end, and more than anything, he wanted it to be the former._

 _"He'd known she'd be up on the rooftop, and it was why he'd been there. He'd needed to tell her how he felt; he'd needed to take that risk. But then, she'd said the words he'd wanted to hear for so long. She'd said the words he wanted to say, and suddenly, there was no risk involved. He could only stare in disbelief, in shock, because he wasn't sure if he'd been imagining it._

 _"But she was going to apologise. And he couldn't have that. So then he'd kissed her, just because it had always been the only way to get her to shut up._

 _"'I love you, too,' he said quietly after watching a single tear roll down her cheek, and as he brushed it away with his thumb and lightly pressed his lips to hers again, he whispered, 'I always loved you.'"_

Bickslow stared wide-eyed at Lucy as she looked down to the now closed book, her face a mask of confusion. In a way, she was glad the book ended happily where the guy gets the girl and vice versa, but she was confused. It was her old life. It was _their_ old life, and for the last two-hundred-odd pages, she'd been frustrated that the two main characters had been avoiding their feelings for each other, and she had to admit that the ending was nice because it was essentially going full-circle in the space of a year.

But she was confused, because the two main characters were based on herself and Bickslow, and for a moment, it had felt like he was actually telling her he loved her, and that was something she really did not want.

Besides, he wouldn't say something like that to her, because he didn't even feel that way anyway. It was just a book.

It was fiction.

So rolling onto her back to place the now finished book on her nightstand, she mumbled, "Interesting…" Because really, it was the only word that came to mind to describe what she'd just read out loud.

Bickslow, on the other hand, he was still confused as all hell. He already knew the book was about them – loosely, sort of – but hell, what was that ending? What the fuck was that about? Why the hell was there romance involved? He didn't do romance. Hell, he didn't fucking _love_ Lucy, either. He didn't even have any feelings at all for her in that world and in that life.

Well, honestly, that was debatable, but Bickslow wasn't going to focus on that.

The point was that it made no sense. And sure, he knew it was a book, and that none of it was real, but still, _'I always loved you'_ was not something he would say – ever. In any world, whether it be real or fiction.

Unless it wasn't his character that said it.

Of course! It had to have been someone else. Bickslow's character would never say something like that to Lucy's character.

"Glad Natsu's character finally manned up and said it," he chuckled, returning his focus to his phone in his hands. It had to have been Natsu's character. Bickslow had read enough of it to know that there was a stupid Dragon Slayer in the story, and with everyone believing that Natsu and Lucy had been bound to end up together at some point anyway (at least before they'd all moved to that world), it just had to have been him. Who else would say that they'd always been in love with her?

"Wasn't Natsu," she replied quietly.

He turned his head to look back to Lucy and he arched a brow. If it wasn't Natsu, then who else would it be? "Gray, then?" he asked. If not Natsu, then it had to be Gray.

"Nope."

"Loke?"

"No."

Bickslow had already run out of ideas. Those three were the only ones that anyone ever expected Lucy to actually have any feelings for. He knew he could just drop the entire thing, but for some reason he was curious. The book had started off with being about them, but obviously, it hadn't ended that way. So rolling onto his side once again with his head propped up by the pillows now, he asked quietly, "Who then?"

And Lucy briefly wondered if she should make Bickslow realise it on his own, but she reasoned that it would take too long. The answer was right there in front of him (hell, she'd quite literally read out loud one of the biggest hints, and that being the rooftop), yet he still didn't realise. Lucy wanted Bickslow to be as confused as she was without having an entirely valid reason, and if he didn't know that it was his character that had said it, then she'd never know if it had as much of an effect on him that it did her.

So without hesitation, she turned her head to the side to look at Bickslow and see the small smirk on his lips as he patiently awaited her answer. "You," she said quietly and simply.

"Eh?" was all he could get out as the smirk instantly disappeared. He was even more confused now. How could it have been him? How the fuck could Lucy's character having gone from calling him an idiotic womanising ass to being in love with him? How the fuck could his character have always been in love with _her_?

Just what in the world happened after he'd stopped reading it?

He'd have to find out, that was for sure. But he wasn't going to do that tonight. He had more important things to find out tonight, and besides, it was just a book. He didn't really have a reason to be freaking out about his character having apparently always been in love with Lucy's character. No reason at all.

So as he dropped his phone down onto the mattress just in front of him, he rubbed his hands across his face, as if to physically force himself to move on from the topic of the book. "Right, well. Weird book," he muttered.

"I guess so," she mumbled, rolling onto her side to face Bickslow again. She'd had a feeling of relief wash over her when she saw Bickslow's reaction to the ending of the book, but now that relief was gone. Because just like their characters were done running and avoiding things, Lucy and Bickslow were done putting off a few things that they both knew could not be avoided any longer as well. Or at least Lucy hoped that was the case. At least a little bit. So meeting his gaze, quietly, she asked, "So, um, what is it you were going to say when you came in before?"

It took Bickslow a moment to actually remember what it was he was going to say, but then as he remembered, he sat up and with his legs crossed under him, and turned to face Lucy once again. "Yeah, look… About the baby…" he mumbled. "Are you sure that you really want to keep it?"

And Lucy had half expected it to be about the baby, but not as to whether or not she wanted to keep it. She could feel the dread within her rise with each second, because for some reason, she almost felt as if Bickslow didn't want to keep it, and it hurt a bit, because she'd been so sure that what she wanted had been the same thing he wanted.

But now, she wasn't so sure that that was the case.

"Why would you ask that?" she asked, trying her hardest to keep how much she was worrying out of her voice and off her face. She couldn't let Bickslow see or hear that, especially if she was worrying for a good reason.

"Because it's a big thing, and I don't want you to regret any decisions when it's too late to do anything…" He paused when Lucy pulled herself up into a sitting position, pushing the pillows back up against the headboard before she looked down at her hands in her lap. It wasn't like Bickslow wanted to be having that conversation any more than Lucy did, but it had to be done anyway. "I mean, we were exhausted, and… And people say and do stupid things when they're tired…"

"So you think that all of it was stupid?"

"God no, I just…" he replied quickly, suddenly aware that they weren't really just talking about the baby anymore. He didn't think any of it was stupid in the slightest. "I just want to make sure that it's what you really want."

Lucy looked up then and towards Bickslow once again. "I know what I want," she whispered, shrugging slightly. "But I don't know what you want."

"It doesn't matter what I want."

"Yes, it does, because I don't want to keep it if you're going to hate me for it," she snapped.

"Why would I…?" Bickslow was almost at a loss for words. He didn't see how she could think he would hate her if she really did want to keep it. Unless, of course his little speech about saying stupid things had made her think that _he_ didn't to keep it. And really, that was the last thing he'd wanted Lucy to think, because he had been trying so hard to keep what he wanted out of it. It was about what Lucy wanted, not him, because in the long run, Lucy was the priority. She was the one who was pregnant; she would be the one that had to put up with everything (and it wasn't like she would be doing it alone, because Bickslow would help her through everything as best he could).

But maybe that's what she was afraid of the most, and why she thought he would hate her. Maybe Lucy was worried that he wouldn't actually be there for her. Maybe she was worried that he'd hate her too much and he'd leave.

Bickslow honestly didn't know what was running through her mind, but from the look in her eyes – the smallest of flickers of hurt and worry – he knew he was at least close.

Quickly, he leant forward from where he sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Shit, Lucy, I could never hate you for that," he mumbled by her ear. "I could never hate you for anything, actually."

"Would you be mad at me if I still wanted to keep it?"

"Nope," he said with a small smile as he leant back again, leaving his hands just below her shoulders. "I'm not gonna hate you, I'm not gonna be mad, I'm not gonna leave or do anything idiotic if that's what you really want to do."

She nodded slowly, already feeling a little bit of that worry and fear within her disappear. Bickslow wasn't going to hate her, he wasn't going to be mad, and he wasn't going to leave. Lucy had lived in such close quarters with him long enough to know that he was a terrible liar. It didn't help that he rarely found a reason to, but that was irrelevant, because right then, Lucy knew he wasn't lying. She had needed to hear those reassuring words, and he'd said them.

It was just that there was still a part of her that worried about the possibility of Bickslow realising that another baby that neither of them had planned on being stuck with was something he didn't want. And that was one thing she really wanted to know the answer to, because even though she knew he would still stay by her side if she still wanted to keep it (which, she did; very much so), she wanted to know that Bickslow would really be okay with it.

She wanted to know if Bickslow wanted the baby as much as she did, because seeing his excitement earlier in the day was something that had made her happy. She wanted to see that again, if it were possible.

"But do _you_ still want to keep the baby? Because I got the feeling earlier that you did," she said, finally looking up again. She'd so desperately wanted to mumble it, because there was a part of her that was scared of the answer (like she had been earlier), but she knew she couldn't. She needed to be clear and she needed to be confident.

Or try to, at least.

"Why are you so still so set on knowing what I want? It doesn't matter, because it's about you, not me."

Lucy shook her head then. "It's not just about me, Bickslow. It's about _us_." And when he arched a brow in slight confusion, she felt her face heat up and she internally cursed herself. It wasn't particularly the best time for her to use that word, but it had to be said, because it was just the best word available. "You say you won't hate me or be mad at me or anything, and I believe you, but I still need to know that this is what _you_ want, too. I already rely on you now way too much as it is, and I am so, _so_ thankful that you're letting me do that, but there's no way in hell I can do this on my own. I just… As silly and stupid as it is, I want you to love this baby as much as you love Ingrid, and I need to know that you'll be happy with it all, because I don't want you to stay by my side and with Ingrid just because you feel like you have to."

Lucy finally looked down again, partly to hide her blush that wasn't leaving any time soon, Bickslow sat back on his heels, and he dropped his hands from her shoulders and one hand rubbed the back of his head idly. He hadn't particularly been expecting that kind of response in the slightest, but hell, it kind of made sense. Of course she needed to know what he wanted to do, because if she was left guessing, she'd assume he'd stay just because he loved Ingrid.

And really, that wasn't the case at all. He'd stay because he loved Ingrid _and_ the unborn baby, and because he cared about Lucy. The fact that there was an expectation to stay because in that world they were married, and that they were still putting on that front when it came to certain people was irrelevant. Their counterpart's lives didn't matter in the slightest, because to Bickslow, they were no longer _their_ lives.

The only problem then was that Lucy apparently didn't see any of that; she didn't quite see that Bickslow had done all of what he'd done because he cared for Lucy. He liked being there for her, and he liked that she could rely on him of all people. Not her team or her other friends, but him. Granted, Bickslow had kept just what he wanted away from Lucy, so it wasn't all that surprising that she'd be worried about him not wanting to keep the baby. Plus, it probably didn't help that he'd gone on the entire ' _people say and do stupid things when they're exhausted'_ spiel. Bickslow stood by what he said, though. He didn't think any of it was stupid.

"Ah, well… Fuck…" he muttered after a while, looking down to the sheets he'd tangled his legs up in when he'd moved.

Lucy could feel her own heart sink as he spoke, and she was preparing herself for hearing Bickslow say that he didn't really want her to keep the baby, and that his joy earlier had just been his exhaustion taking control.

"I kinda already do."

She looked up then, and when she saw the smirk on his face, she found herself confused. "What?" she asked.

Bickslow shrugged, dropping the hand that had been rubbing the back of his head to his knee. "You said you want me to love the kid as much as I love Ingrid, and I kinda already do," he said, and when Lucy's face remained mostly blank, continuing to stare at him in apparent shock and most likely a little bit of confusion, he began to chuckle.

Then quickly, Bickslow leant forward again, and with his arms around her back, he managed to lean backwards, pulling her from where she sat with her legs folded with a squeak at the unexpectedness of what Bickslow had done, and then rolled them onto their sides with his arms still around her.

And it was enough to break Lucy from her apparent daze, so ignoring the position they were in and how close they actually were, with her hands flat against his chest and tucked in to her own body, she looked up and into Bickslow's deep red eyes, and quietly, she whispered, "Does that mean you want to keep the baby too?"

"Yeah, it does," he said with a smile. "Are you sure that you really want—" But then he was cut off as Lucy lightly pressed her lips to his, and when she pulled away after just a short moment, leaving her fingers lightly tracing over his jaw, he mumbled, "Oookay…" Because really, that was all he could think of then. The second time in a day where she'd kissed him without expecting it, and hell, he was beginning to like it. A lot.

"Please stop asking me that," she whispered. She'd needed a way to silence him then and there, and kissing him had seemed like the best way of doing so. And honestly, she could see herself forming a very bad habit. Ahe could see herself wanting to kiss Bickslow a lot, because she already did want to, and it was because somehow, it felt right.

Of course, though, there were probably worse things she could be getting addicted to so quickly, so she reasoned that Bickslow wasn't one of them. Wanting to kiss Bickslow would be a habit she wouldn't entirely call bad.

"Answer it this once and I'll stop asking it," he replied just as quietly, and when she nodded just barely after a moment from where she lay, her face just a mere inch away from his, he asked, "Are you sure that this is what you really want?" Because it was still a big thing. Having _another_ baby was a _huge_ thing and Bickslow wanted to make sure that Lucy was really aware of that. He just really didn't want her to be panicking and regretting her – _their_ – decision a few months down the track.

Ingrid was one thing, but having another baby was entirely different.

They had a choice with that baby.

But it was an easy question to answer, because Lucy still hadn't changed her mind. The fact she'd been exhausted earlier hadn't made a difference, because deep down, she'd known right from the beginning that she wanted to keep the baby. "I'm sure," she said quietly and with a small smile of her own.

Sure, she was terrified beyond all belief, but knowing that it was what Bickslow wanted and that he was going to be there because it was what he wanted was making it already just a little bit easier. She wasn't going to be alone, and that's what she needed.


	21. Chapter 21

Bickslow slid the wardrobe door closed and looked into the mirrored door and to the reflection of Lucy playing with Ingrid on the bed. "What time was that appointment again?" he asked as he began to do the buttons up on the grey vest, opting for it instead of the usual suit jacket.

"It's at one thirty," she sighed. "You still don't have to come though. I know Laxus will—"

"Fuck Laxus," Bickslow cut in. When Lucy looked up to Bickslow in the mirror, he shrugged and tucked his purple tie under the now buttoned-up vest. "I don't care what he thinks. I'm going to be there, alright?"

"You do realise nothing much is going to happen today, right? You're probably better off staying at work either way."

With a roll of his eyes, he turned and fell down to the bed on his side, and as he propped himself up on his elbow, he slowly rolled the sleeves of his white shirt up to his elbows. "It's a Friday, so I'm not really better off staying at work," he explained. Because really, Fridays were mostly boring. The usual meeting made it so. The previous Friday had been strangely busy, and of course, it just had to be the one day where the entire world seemed to have fallen apart. But hey, they were putting the world back together slowly, piece by piece. "Besides, we had this conversation yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that, too. I told you I want to be there."

Bickslow wanted to be there for every single step along the way. He wanted to be there for Lucy and for the entire pregnancy, not just because he would stay because of Ingrid and because he cared about Lucy and the baby, but because it was _his_ baby. It was his kid and he really did already love it as much as Ingrid. He wanted to be there for it all, because hell, he was excited.

And a little terrified.

But mostly excited.

The point was that he was going to be there for Lucy for the entire time. He'd promised her that, and he was going to go through with it. He wasn't leaving. Ever.

"Alright then," she sighed again as she manoeuvred herself to the edge of the bed, and as she stood, she almost habitually pulled down and tried to stretch out the fabric of her shirt. She'd done her research during the week, and even though she knew it was mostly just bloating, she still swore that she got bigger with each day.

Or maybe she was just imagining it? Who knows, honestly.

Around the house, she didn't care what she wore because for whatever reason, Bickslow thought her tiny, little, mostly bloating, but a little bit of a baby bump was cute. Lucy didn't understand that at all, because she honestly just felt fat, especially when half of the pairs of pants she owned were so close to not being able to be done up at all. Lucy had never had a problem with clothes not fitting in her entire life.

But hey, she was also having a baby, and sure, that baby was somewhere between the size of being a pomegranate seed and a blueberry (according to Bickslow, anyway), but there was a tiny human growing inside of her. Of course her clothes weren't going to fit.

But still, no matter how much she'd accepted it and no matter how excited she was, she would still make a point of wearing the loosest clothes she could find that weren't blatantly maternity, just so she could keep it hidden from everyone else for a little while longer. She knew that it would only really be a couple of weeks before even the loose and flowing tops she worse would give away her secret, but she didn't want to jinx herself by telling everyone, only to end up losing the baby. If that happened, she'd be completely crushed, and so would Bickslow.

In such a short amount of time, they'd both grown to love that baby Lucy was carrying, just like they'd grown to love Ingrid. With Ingrid, it wasn't so instantaneous because there'd been a period where they still thought it was all temporary, but they longer they'd been in that world, the less likely leaving seemed, and without trying, they'd fallen in love with Ingrid. With the other baby, it was much quicker, and it was because they already loved Ingrid. The baby was _their_ baby, just like Ingrid was _their_ daughter.

Not the other Bickslow and Lucy's, but _theirs_.

The fact that they both saw the baby as actually being their own was part of the reason they were so excited about it. Sure, it was scary – because really, waking up with a five-month old at the time was one thing, but actually having a baby was different – but they were so damn happy. Lucy was actually convinced Bickslow was more excited than she was, because each day, he'd send her little facts about the growing baby that he'd found while avoiding his work, apparently. It was how she knew it was somewhere around the size of a pomegranate seed or a blueberry, depending on how far along she was because all they knew was that she somewhere around six weeks, and considering they'd seen a heartbeat, it was a pretty good indication.

But no matter how excited she was (and she had to admit that Bickslow's excitement was contagious), there was still that tiny little part of her that worried about something bad happening, even though she knew that the chances of that certain something being incredibly low.

So when Lucy slowly walked over to the bathroom to take a quick shower and take advantage of the half an hour before Bickslow needed to leave for work, she stopped once she'd reached the door, and a smile crossed her face when she looked back to the bed over her shoulder. She really did love watching him with Ingrid, and she also really was glad that he'd already taken such an interest in the baby and the pregnancy. It wasn't like she didn't want him to, because she did. It was just that she'd looked into what usually happens at the first appointment with an obstetrician, and from what she'd read, it was mostly just boring talks about what she should expect or not expect, what to do and not to do and all that jazz. Sure, it wasn't going to be boring for _her_ , because she had a hell of a lot of questions, but it was probably going to be boring for Bickslow, who was probably just going to be sitting there keeping Ingrid occupied.

Or having Ingrid occupy himself.

Who really knows? Because Lucy couldn't tell.

But hey, if he really did want to be there for every single step along the way for the next seven odd months, then she wasn't going to stop him. After all, she was going to need him, and in a way, Lucy was glad that she found herself in that world in that entire situation with Bickslow, because she didn't think it would be the same as it was then if it was anyone else.

* * *

Bickslow looked up from the book he held open with one hand as the door to his office opened. When his secretary, James, stuck his head through and looked towards Bickslow's desk where he sat with his feet up on one corner and leaning back in plush leather chair, Bickslow quickly took the black plastic fork from his mouth and swallowed the piece of chicken from the salad he'd been slowly eating while reading, and he dropped the fork back to the plastic bowl that sat in his lap.

"Yes?" he asked, looking towards the younger man with the glasses in the door.

"You asked me to remind you to go see Mr. Dreyar at twelve thirty," James said.

Bickslow turned his wrist to look at the watch, and when he saw that it was indeed half past, he quickly moved his salad from his lap to the desk, marked his spot in the book, and pushed his chair out a little bit so he could sit up straight again. "Right, sorry. Thanks for that," he mumbled. Then, as he stood and walked around the desk to grab the black leather messenger back and unclasped both of the buckles at the front and lifted the flap, he looked back up to the door before James could close it behind him as he left, and called out, "You can probably finish early today, if you wanted."

"Sorry?"

"I mean, it's been a pretty quiet day so far, and I've gotta leave now anyway, so there's probably no harm in you knocking off a little earlier than you're supposed to, right?"

The assistant smiled with a nod as Bickslow swung the strap over his shoulder, having finished packing up his laptop, book, and everything else he'd need to get some work done later that night and over the weekend. "I suppose," James said quietly, instead moving to hold the door open for Bickslow as he walked towards it, shoving his phone in the pocket of his pants. "Thank you, Mr. Ther— _Bickslow_."

Bickslow smirked as James corrected himself. In just a short week, his new secretary had learned the ropes fairly quickly, and sure, it was probably because he had experience with the job before Bickslow had hired him, but there were still some things he was still getting the hang of. Bickslow's preferred name was one of those.

"No problem," Bickslow said, walking beside James as he headed towards his desk after closing the door to Bickslow's office behind him. Then, as he took a seat at his own chair in the desk closest to Bickslow's office, Bickslow steered away from the rows of cubicles in the centre of the large room that was mostly empty with the majority of people having left for lunch. With a wave as he looked over his shoulder, Bickslow called out, "Enjoy your weekend, James."

"You too."

And Bickslow would enjoy his weekend, because he'd enjoyed almost every single weekend he'd had in their new world. He got to spend them with Ingrid, and he loved that. Lucy practically got Ingrid all to herself during the week, because for the most part, Bickslow wasn't supposed to finish work until around four and five o'clock, but the weekends were his. The weekends were his while Lucy got a bit of a reprieve from running around after a six-month-old all day, every day. He loved that though. Ingrid was the reason he enjoyed his weekends.

Well, Ingrid was _mostly_ the reason. The fact he was getting closer to Lucy was also part of the reason to enjoy the weekend. Bickslow didn't really know what they were doing, but it didn't really matter much. The point was that he'd found opportunities to have her against walls to steal kisses from her more than once that week without getting disturbed, and hey, he wasn't complaining. Not in the slightest.

But now, he actually had to get to the weekend, and he couldn't start the weekend until he'd left work, and he couldn't leave work until he told Laxus he was leaving, and Bickslow already knew that it was going to be a painful conversation.

So when the elevator came to a stop on the floor with Laxus' office, Bickslow didn't pay any attention to the few people he walked past in the corridor as he walked right down the end. He ignored Laxus' secretary at her desk right outside his door, and he pushed the double doors open and burst into Laxus' office.

Laxus looked up from where he sat at the small table about the size of his desk that sat on one side of the room, and so did Erza from where she sat on the other side of that table.

"Bickslow?" Laxus said, moving the stack of paperwork he had aside and pushing his chair away to stand from the table. "What are you doing here?"

Bickslow was internally freaking out. He hadn't expected Erza to be there, but it made sense considering the two essentially ran the company together. Telling Laxus he had to leave for the rest of the afternoon was one thing, but telling Erza too? That was a little terrifying, considering Erza was probably going to try and torture him to get the information out of him. It wasn't like Bickslow didn't want to tell everyone else who needed to know what was going on, because he did. It was just that he couldn't because he knew Lucy wanted to wait, just for a little bit longer, at least. Besides, he'd already told four people (five, if you included Mark as well), so he really shouldn't be telling anyone else as it was.

It was entirely up to Lucy now. Bickslow could wait. He could keep his excitement in check… For the most part.

So clearing his throat, he moved over to the two leather lounges that sat facing each other in the centre of the large office, and looked down at Laxus as he took a seat on the end of one, his arm over the backrest and his leg crossed over a knee. "I just thought I'd stop by and let you know I have to leave early today," he said, glancing up to Erza at the table just behind the lounges. "Like, now, actually."

"No," Laxus said after a moment, taking a sip from a glass of water as he kept his eyes on Bickslow, who only raised an eyebrow at the simple response.

Bickslow folded his arms. "No?"

"No," he said again. "Gramps has been on my back about your unexplained absences in the last week. You're not leaving. I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry, and I am leaving." Bickslow shrugged.

There was another long pause as the two stared back at each other through narrowed eyes. Erza remained impartial to the conversation, only glancing up occasionally form the papers she had in front of her. Laxus, on the other hand… Well, he knew Bickslow, and he knew that when Bickslow was determined to do something or get something, he wouldn't stop until he got whatever it is he wanted. The man was quite obviously set on leaving early for whatever reason, and Laxus had known him long enough to know that the former Seith mage was probably the only one out of himself, Freed, and Evergreen, that could actually see through his threats and everything else. Laxus knew that whatever he said or tried to threaten him with, Bickslow was going to be leaving early no matter what.

"Alright then," Laxus said as he stood from the lounge and turned to head back to the table where Erza sat. Then, as he took a seat in one of the office chairs that surrounded the glass table, he looked back up to Bickslow and said, "At least tell me what's so important to have you leaving in the middle of the day."

Bickslow shook his head. "Can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

Laxus arched a brow. "Does it have anything to do with Blondie?"

Erza looked up again then. "Has something happened to Lucy?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I don't have time for this right now," Bickslow groaned as his rubbed his hands over his face. The fact they'd both asked whether it had something to do with Lucy was frustrating, because Bickslow couldn't say it didn't, because the plain truth was that it was essentially all about Lucy. Laxus would see right through a lie if he told one, so he couldn't even try and say that it _wasn't_ about Lucy.

Besides, he just really didn't have time for their questions. He still had to get back home so he could go with Lucy to the prenatal appointment, rather than meet her there.

Taking a few steps backwards and towards the door, Bickslow glanced at his watch before he shoved his hand back in his pocket with his phone. "Look, I just can't talk about anything right now, okay?" he said. When he reached the doors and began to pull one open slowly, he looked towards Laxus who had continued to carefully watch him the entire time through narrowed eyes. "Laxus, I'll come around later tonight and I'll see if I can explain some things." Because Bickslow could see himself having to leave work occasionally just so he could go to all of her appointments and ultrasounds and such.

Sure, he didn't really know how often or frequent that would be, but he still wanted to go to all of them. Bickslow hoped that once Laxus knew what was going on, then he'd get off his back. Now, all he had to do was talk to Lucy about telling Laxus, and, well… He was hoping it would be a short conversation and she wouldn't mind.

* * *

As soon as they'd made it out of the building and into the carpark that was considerably quieter and not filled with mothers-to-be, Bickslow promptly burst into laughter. He'd been holding it in for so long, and it really had been a long time. He'd sat in a chair in that office with Lucy's obstetrician for over an hour, and for the most part, he really had been bored out of his mind, but there'd been a few times where he'd wanted to laugh, but he couldn't.

Because that would have been inappropriate. So he'd held it in.

One of the things that had made Bickslow want to laugh was the face the doctor gave Lucy when she said she wanted it to be treated like her first pregnancy, and that she hadn't done the entire thing not even a year prior with Ingrid, since on that particular day, Ingrid was only one day shy of being exactly six months old.

The face the doctor, Dr. Elise Delia, gave Lucy when she'd that had been absolutely priceless. It was almost as if her face alone had said what she so desperately wanted to say, which was probably something along the lines of, _'are you a complete fucking moron?'_ Because apparently, she'd been the one the other Lucy and Bickslow had chosen for the pregnancy with Ingrid; delivered her and all, according to the little anecdotes she'd given about Lucy's _first_ pregnancy and birth once they'd taken their seats in front of her desk and made themselves comfortable.

But hey, it was pretty fair that Lucy ask that. Body-wise, it might have been Lucy's second pregnancy, but mentality-wise, it was her first, and Bickslow couldn't blame her for wanting to make sure she did everything right and didn't do anything to harm the baby, whether it be accidental or not (but it wasn't like it would be intentional, either).

So Bickslow sat there, keeping Ingrid from crying as he held her on his lap, and sort of listening to everything that Lucy (and himself, kinda) got told. Most of it Bickslow had already read during the week. He'd spent more time looking up everything and anything related to pregnancy instead of doing his actual work… at work. The things he'd found pretty interesting he'd sent to Lucy – like the fact that the baby was somewhere around the size of a blueberry or something-or-other – but he'd mostly done it all just so he could get some tips on how not to piss her off. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

But when the doctor had brought up something about a possible increased sex drive, Bickslow really did had to fight to keep his laughter in. At that point, it was Lucy's face that had been absolutely priceless as Dr. Delia went on about how it was completely safe and fine. And honestly, that wasn't even the best part. The best part (to Bickslow, anyway) was that Lucy had to be reminded that she should stop (Bickslow should too, technically) if she gets uncomfortable or feels any pain, because _apparently_ , their counterparts weren't exactly into the whole _gentle_ sex thing… Well, that was just how Bickslow understood it, after hearing the doctor remind Lucy of some unfortunate things he really didn't want to hear about.

Like, what guy wants to hear a conversation about bleeding of any goddamn sort after sex?

Yeah, exactly. Bickslow wasn't one of those guys who did want to hear about it, even if it was a little interesting (what could he say, he found almost everything interesting for some reason). Of course, he was somehow beginning to see why guys were so scared of fucking their girlfriends-wives-partners of some description while they were pregnant, because of the shit that he had heard from that doctor. It was kinda terrifying, he had to admit. Not that it really related to him, of course, because he wasn't fucking anyone that was pregnant (not that he wouldn't mind doing so, of course). But it was scary because in the unfortunate event that their partner of the female variety ever experiences anything that made Bickslow want to block his ears and pretend he wasn't hearing it (he was still a kid at heart, what could he say: he was immature), it would kind of be the guy's fault, and seriously, no one wants that.

It was a bit of an ego killer. Sort of.

Regardless of all that, it was a bit of a lie that hearing Lucy liked it a little rough was the best part. Sure, it was pretty damn amazing, because he could only imagine what Lucy was like in the bedroom (and damn, he was imagining it… more than usual), but it wasn't the absolute best thing about a rather fortunate symptom of pregnancy.

Bickslow's hands down, absolute favourite little thing about it all, was that there was an incredibly high chance Lucy was going to get horny at some point – possibly in the next few weeks, maybe. And hell, Bickslow was almost waiting for it to happen. He'd be the first to volunteer to… help her out. He would willingly satisfy her needs, should she let him.

Of course, it was entirely possible she would be completely off it for the next… well, eternity, most likely, because after all, neither really knew where they stood in terms of an actual relationship – if they were even in one at all. It was all too confusing, so they didn't talk about it. At all.

But when they'd been asked what date they'd possibly conceived on so the doctor could determine a due date and see if it matched up with the scan from that day, Bickslow had had to really hold back his laughter. Partly at Lucy's blush that was just not leaving any time soon, and partly because Lucy said she suspected it to be around the 14th February, which as it turns out, was the day before they found themselves in that world anyway. They'd already known that, though.

Bickslow had no idea why he found that so amusing, but he did. Maybe it was because it was just so close to when they'd found themselves in that situation, or maybe it was because the doctor was giving them both looks as if she wished to call them both morons; mostly at Lucy though, for apparently not knowing the first day of her last cycle or something-or-other. Bickslow tuned out for that part of the conversation.

Still, it seemed pretty damn accurate that it had been some time around that wonderful date, otherwise known as Valentine's Day, because they got given a due-date of around the first week of November, and Lucy was somewhere around the seven-week mark – give or take a few days or a week. Something like that.

It was all just really exciting, honestly.

So when they came up to their car in the carpark just outside the building and Bickslow still hadn't stopped laughing (he'd been holding it in for that long that he really just needed to let it all out), Lucy snatched the keys from his hands and instead went to get in the driver's seat. As much as she hated driving, she also valued her life, and she really didn't trust Bickslow to drive when he was having a laughing fit.

When they were stopped at a red light not too far from the hospital and Bickslow had somewhat calmed down, just chuckling now, Lucy glanced over for a second with her brow furrowed before she looked back to the cars in front of her. "What the hell are you even laughing at?" she demanded.

"Everything," he replied.

"Like…?"

Bickslow looked over to Lucy with a sly smirk. "You probably don't want to know." Because he didn't think Lucy would appreciate knowing the fact his laughter was pretty much over him being an immature person.

But Lucy really wanted to know. She'd only seen Bickslow laugh like that a few times (and that was saying something, because he laughed a lot, just never like _that_ ), and every time he'd told her what it was that had him doubling over almost and clutching his sides from laughing too much, she'd found herself doing almost the same.

She was curious.

But she'd have to wait until she got home, because on the off chance she'd find it hilarious, she really didn't want to get in a car accident – especially with Ingrid in the car.

So when the lights turned green and Lucy waited for the cars in front of her to move, she glanced back towards Bickslow to see the sly smirk still in place, and when she frowned, thinking it was something to do with her that had made him laugh so hard, she mumbled, "I do want to know, so tell me when we get home, alright?"

"As you wish…" he said, shrugging, before he turned to look out the window as the car started to move again. If Lucy really wanted to know, then he'd tell her just what it was that he'd found so amusing.

Who knows, maybe her reaction would be amusing?

* * *

Except it hadn't been that amusing to Lucy – nor had her reaction been - especially not the part involving all of her hormones making her want something she was set on not needing. Or wanting.

Nope. She wasn't going to get _horny_ , so Bickslow could wish all he wanted. The fact of the matter was that she wasn't going to be sleeping with anyone, least of all Bickslow. She may like kissing him – a lot – but she wasn't going to sleep with him. Besides, even if she did want to, there's no way in hell he'd still find her even remotely close to attractive or even want to sleep with her himself, not when she was getting bigger and bigger. Soon, it wasn't going to be just a tiny, little, mostly bloating, little bit of a bump. It was going to be a full blown _bump_ , and it was going to get in the way of things.

But hey, she'd signed up for that. She wanted it, and so did Bickslow. She'd just have to get over it until November, and being that it was only really the middle of March, she still had a long way to go.

So when Lucy made her way towards the bedroom in her usual pyjamas that consisted of pink and purple striped cotton shorts and a singlet in a light blue, Bickslow followed just behind her, switching off the lights in the living room and hall as he went. It was barely even eight thirty, but it was a Friday night, and as soon as he walked in the door on a Friday afternoon, he instantly felt exhausted. Bickslow was still adjusting to the schedule of his new life, given that for so long, he'd had anything _but_ a steady routine to follow. Sure, they'd been there a little over a month, but it had been a big change.

Of course, he was liking that big change. He was liking it a lot.

Lucy climbed up onto the bed after switching on the lamp on her nightstand. Once she'd made herself comfortable, lying back against the pillows and propping her neck and shoulders up slightly, she reached for the book she'd been reading for the last couple of days that was sitting on her nightstand. It was just a pregnancy book she'd found sitting on the bottom shelf of the bookcase in the living room; a _'what to expect when you're expecting'_ kind of thing. So far, it had been pretty enlightening and interesting. It was nice to know what was going on inside of her.

But when Bickslow collapsed onto the bed just next to her with a groan, his feet still hanging off the edge from laying down diagonally, Lucy couldn't stifle her giggle.

"I'm tempted to go to bed right now," he mumbled, sitting up on his elbows slightly.

"Then do it."

"Not yet. Still a little bit too early for me." And it was. No matter how tired he was and how much he felt like he really could fall asleep, he wasn't going to bed at eight thirty. Besides, he still had to go and see Laxus, and he felt like putting that off for some reason. Though, it probably had something to do with the fact that he hadn't actually talked to Lucy about it.

So when Lucy went back to quietly reading her book, Bickslow found himself tilting his head to the side and staring at her belly just in front of him. He really did think it was cute, and honestly, just absolutely amazing.

When it came to women being pregnant, he'd always had a lack of interest in the subject. Great, you're having a baby. Awesome. Why the hell should he care about it?

But with Lucy being pregnant, he really did care. A lot. She had a person growing inside of her, right that very moment, and she would for the next seven odd months. Her body was home for the next seven months, and it was going to provide everything that baby needed until it was ready to come out and Bickslow got to hold his or her tiny hand, and Bickslow couldn't wait until he got to do that. He couldn't wait until he got to meet that baby, because it was his. It was his baby just as much as Ingrid was his daughter.

The new world had made Bickslow change his views and opinions on almost everything, and he really didn't think they were all that bad. With Lucy carrying his baby (seriously, even though they hadn't done the deed themselves, it was still his), he couldn't help but see the entire process as amazing.

And a little beautiful, if he was honest with himself. He really couldn't wait for the next seven months.

Damn. Being a parent had made him soft, but hey, he didn't care. At all.

But suddenly, he realised staring at her belly wasn't enough, so he inched forward on the bed and gently rested his head on it instead.

Lucy flinched from the sudden movement, but when she lowered the book to see past it, she smiled softly. "You right there?" she asked as she closed the book and put it back on the nightstand.

"Is this… okay?" Bickslow responded, turning his head to look at Lucy instead as an arm draped over her to lightly rest his hand by her waist.

She smiled again with a slight nod. "It's fine." So it was probably a little weird, but it was actually nice.

And they stayed like that in silence for a few minutes; Bickslow with his eyes closed and Lucy with her hands clasped just in front of where his face was. Lucy had managed to sneak a picture of it on her phone after he'd closed his eyes, and when she'd giggled, he'd opened one to look up with a confused expression.

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Bickslow mumbled then, opening his eyes just in time to see Lucy shrug and the corners of her mouth downturn.

"I don't really want to think too much about that yet…" she replied quietly.

Bickslow sat up suddenly and he moved to kneel over her and take her face gently in his hands as he leant down slightly, his knees on either side of her hips still. He knew why Lucy didn't want to think about it, because she'd let it slip earlier in the week when he'd mentioned she didn't seem as happy about everything as she'd let on. Bickslow had done his own research into the likelihood of it while at work, so he knew that the chances of Lucy miscarrying were considerably lower now that there was a heartbeat within the expected range, and he knew that Lucy also knew that because he'd told her.

But she was still worried about it, and he didn't really know how to make it better. He didn't know if he could, because it was just one of those things he didn't think he'd ever be able to understand.

He could still try, though.

"Stop that," he said quietly, looking down at her with a frown. "You know as well as I do that it's unlikely to happen."

"But it's still possible."

"But unlikely," he argued. "Please just stop worrying about it, okay? Even the doctor said you didn't have to worry as much now that you've seen the heartbeat. That's a really good sign, remember?"

It wasn't like Bickslow was entirely certain everything would be fine with the baby, either, because he wasn't. There was a tiny part that worried about it, but it was at the back of his mind, because he chose not to focus on it. He was choosing to believe that everything would be fine, and he needed Lucy to believe in that too.

Of course, in the unlikely event she did lose the baby, Bickslow would still be crushed, and it would probably hurt more because he'd let himself be too excited and get too attached and used to the idea of having a baby. But… there was also a part of him that had decided, in the also unlikely event that Lucy decided she really did want a baby, other than Ingrid, then he'd give that to her.

And it was weird – even Bickslow knew that. He'd be willing to give her a baby if that was what she really wanted. One that was entirely, one hundred and ten percent hers – _theirs_.

If that thought alone was weird enough to Bickslow, then it was the fact he was beginning to realise he actually cared about her more than he'd originally thought, and that was scary. It was scary not knowing his own feelings, especially when they were ones he'd never known had been there for god knows how long and he was experiencing them all for the first time.

Lucy continued to look up at Bickslow hovering over her. She really did know she shouldn't be worrying as much as she was, because Bickslow was right – she'd been told it wasn't something that was likely to happen, and the doctor herself was happy with how everything looked. But still… no matter how low the chance was, it was still possible, and that's what was stuck in the forefront of her mind. It wasn't like she wanted to be worrying about it, because if anything, that constant reminder that it could happen was stopping her from truly enjoying it.

She wanted to enjoy being pregnant to the fullest, because she knew that it wasn't something she'd get to do again, because really, she was going to have her hands full with two kids that were barely going to be over a year apart in age. Besides, there was no telling what her relationship with Bickslow would be like in the future, because until they sorted out what was going on between them right then, there was no point in even discussing anything like that.

But Bickslow was still right. She needed to stop worrying about it as much as she was.

So nodding after a long moment of just staring up into the dark red eyes, she smiled weakly and whispered, "Okay."

Bickslow knew enough about Lucy to know that she wasn't just going to stop worrying right that second. No, she'd still worry, but… he could see that she was at least going to try and get past it all. It was progress, and that was a step in the right direction. He still hoped that she wouldn't be worried about it at all, but he really didn't think she'd ever just completely accept it. Not for a while, anyway.

"Good," he said, quickly leaning down a pressing a light kiss to her lips before going back down to where his head had formerly been. Except when he was hovering over her stomach, he paused for a short moment, and instead reached for the hem of her shirt and rolled it up slightly, exposing the soft flesh beneath it.

"What are you doing…?" she asked cautiously, her brow furrowing in confusion as she held the bunched up fabric and stopped it from going any higher – not that Bickslow had intended for it to go any higher or expose any more of her.

But of course, he ignored her question, even though he knew he was really pushing the boundaries again – something he'd been doing a lot of lately, but as it turns out, they were getting further and further away and there was more he could do and get away with, much like Lucy could. Progress, right?

Progress.

So after pressing a light kiss to her belly that had the muscles jerk slightly from the sudden and unexpected contact, he instead went to rest his forehead against her while his hands stayed on her hips. "Now, you, even tinier human," he said, staring at the soft skin right beneath him. "You need to stay healthy, and happy, and be good to Cosplayer. Because if you're not, you're just gonna make her worry, and then you're gonna make me worry, and you really shouldn't make your parents worry before you're even born. That's just mean, alright?"

"You're such a dork sometimes," Lucy laughed, folding her hands across the top of her stomach again when he went back to using her as a human pillow.

He grinned as he lifted his gaze to look back up. "I'm always a dork." That's just who Bickslow was, and there would never be a day where he saw it as anything but a compliment. "But seriously, have you thought about whether it's a boy or a girl at all?" he asked.

And there was another moment of silence as Lucy pursed her lips in thought. She had thought about it. It was just one of those things that had been in the back of her mind when she'd been trying to fall asleep at night since she'd found out she was pregnant. But of course, she'd stopped herself from thinking about it too much, because she didn't want to get more attached to the idea of it than she already was. Lucy didn't want to let herself get too far ahead in terms of thinking about certain things, to start fantasising about everything, only to have it taken away. It would absolutely destroy her if that were to happen.

But she was really going to try and put her worry behind her, for the most part. She had to, because until she did, she wasn't going to be able to enjoy it all, and she really wanted to do that.

"I think… it's going to be a girl," she said, grabbing another pillow and sticking it behind her head to lift her up more. It wasn't so much that she thought it would be a girl, but it was more hoping it would be a girl. Sure, she'd still be happy if it was a boy, but… She just wanted another girl, and there really was a tiny part of her that believed it would be, even though it was still really early.

"Well, I think it's going to be a boy," Bickslow said matter-of-factly.

"We'll just have to wait and see who's right then, won't we?"

"I guess we will," he chuckled. "I bet you a hundred dollars it's a boy though."

Lucy rolled her eyes then. "You're forgetting that your money is also my money."

"True," he sighed, humming in thought for a moment. Sometimes he forgot that they actually shared a bank account – all of his money went in there from work, and all of Lucy's book royalties also went into it. Betting money was completely out of the question.

"How about…" she mumbled, looking up at the pattern the lampshade made on the ceiling as she thought of a wager. "You owe me dinner if I'm right."

"Dinner?" A smirk pulling at his lips when Lucy shrugged and made a point of looking anywhere else but back at Bickslow. Of course, he'd still seen the pink that dusted her cheeks. "I'd do dinner whether you're right or not," he said.

"O-oh… Well… I don't really know then…" _Is he saying he'd go on an actual date?!_

Bickslow laughed as he pushed himself to lean on one elbow as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He rolled onto his side slightly to fish it out, and when he opened up the messages, he frowned when he saw the unread one from Laxus.

 ** _Are you still coming over or what?_**

 ****Oh. Right. He still had to do that. After all, he did tell Laxus he'd be over later, and it was getting late as it was. He might as well go and get it done.

"I've gotta go talk to Laxus," he groaned, rolling back to the side of the bed and sluggishly pushing himself to his feet after sending a short reply to Laxus saying he'd be over soon.

Lucy sat up on her elbows after pushing her singlet back down to cover her stomach. "What for?"

He waved his hand dismissively when he got to the door and shrugged. "He's pissed at me for leaving so often. Just gotta go give him an excuse for now, I guess." Sure, he'd been planning on talking to Lucy about telling Laxus, but he really didn't want to have that conversation then. Another day, perhaps. Besides, Bickslow wasn't going to have to leave work early or take any days off for the next few weeks because there were no more appointments for a few weeks, so as long as he could give Laxus an excuse, it would be fine.

That, or he could promise that it would all be explained soon. You know, once Lucy was ready to start telling people.

But before Bickslow could get too far away, Lucy pushed herself up into a sitting position with her legs crossed under her, and called out, loud enough for Bickslow to hear, "You can tell him."

Bickslow turned then and came back to stand in the doorway, his brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"You can tell Laxus, if you want," she mumbled, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. If it was already causing problems for Bickslow at work, then she didn't think it was fair she keep it a secret for much longer. Anyway, she really did only have a couple of weeks before everyone would figure it out on their own, and she did want to get it out on her own terms. "I know I said I wanted to wait, but you can tell him."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Lucy nodded. "We can tell everyone else next week or something." Because she still wanted to keep it a secret for a little while longer. Telling one person wouldn't be that big of a deal, because if anything, they'd both expected Mira to have told him by that point. It had a been a week, and anything involving babies, well… she usually had trouble keeping her mouth shut.

* * *

Bickslow followed Laxus out onto the balcony at the back of the penthouse suite, and when he saw the city lit up all around him from such a great height, he had to stop himself from just staring at it in awe. They'd been in that world for more than a month, but he was still getting used to it all. The new surroundings were the hardest to get used to.

"Want anything to drink?" Laxus asked as he walked behind the small bar and opened his own beer.

"No thanks," Bickslow mumbled. He internally shook his head when he took a seat on one of the cushioned wicker chairs by the hot-tub. He never turned down alcohol. Ever. The new world and life had changed a lot of things.

Besides, he was there to explain things, not drink.

So as Laxus took a long sip from the glass bottle and took a seat on the matching wicker lounge, one arm over the backrest and his leg folded over his knee again, he looked towards Bickslow. Even in the dim lighting from the few lights around the balcony and from the moon, Laxus could tell something was clearly troubling his friend, and he was curious.

"So," Laxus said clearly after sitting in silence for a moment. "Are you going to explain the whole absence thing for the last week?"

"Uh… Yeah…" he mumbled. Then, as he sighed and rubbed his hands down his face, he sat back in the comfortable chair and thought about what it was he was actually going to say. "Where to start?" he asked himself, more than anything. Until he'd arrived at Laxus', he'd thought it would be an easy conversation, and that it would be easy to explain, but suddenly, it wasn't.

Telling Gajeel, Levy, and Mira had been one thing, because they'd basically already suspected it and he was only confirming their suspicions. Claire was much the same, because her husband had told her.

Laxus, though… Laxus knew nothing (or so he assumed), so he really didn't know where to begin. He didn't even know why it was so hard.

"Maybe the beginning?" Laxus asked, taking another sip.

Bickslow shook his head then. "That won't work." Because really, starting at the beginning would be way too confusing. He could only think of one way to start the actual conversation, and that was with the most important thing of all. So sighing again, he lifting his arms to rest him on the armrests, and shrugging, he said, "Lucy's pregnant."

"She's _what?_ " Laxus demanded, spitting out his drink onto the ground and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You heard me."

Laxus leant forward to place his bottle on the coffee table just in front of the lounge. "Are you serious? She's fucking pregnant?"

"Yeah." Bickslow nodded. "And… Before you ask, no, I didn't sleep with her," he said, almost regrettably.

"Shit, dude…" Laxus whispered, sitting back again and crossing his arms. The two of them having Ingrid was one thing, but finding out Lucy was pregnant? Damn, that had to be frustrating. Or so Laxus believed. "What are you going to do?"

Bickslow knew exactly what that question meant, and he figured that once everyone else knew, they were going to be answering it again. It was expected, though, so even though he thought it was a little bit annoying, he couldn't really get too irritated by it. "We're keeping it," he replied.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Laxus arched a brow. "Blondie's idea?"

"And mine," Bickslow said, narrowing his eyes slightly. That one almost hit a nerve, because he didn't see how Laxus could assume it was entirely Lucy's idea to keep the baby. Hell, Bickslow figured Laxus of all people would understand what it was like to love a kid just because it was theirs, just because he and Mira had Blake. Why would the baby be any different, especially when they all knew Bickslow loved Ingrid?

Laxus drew back slightly from the sudden shift in the man's demeanour, and from that, he knew Bickslow was serious about keeping the baby Lucy was apparently having. Sure, Laxus didn't really understand it, but he also didn't have to. It wasn't his life, but hey, whatever his friend wanted to do was completely fine with him.

But Lucy being pregnant didn't really explain why Bickslow had missed a few days over the last week, most of them unexplained.

So shaking his head, he reached for the beer again, and after taking another sip, he looked back to Bickslow. "Okay, so Blondie's knocked up, but that doesn't really explain why you missed work," he stated.

Bickslow nodded slowly. Now it was time for the explaining where hopefully, everything would make sense. "It kinda does," he said. "Alright, so. Story time."

"Oh, joy…" Laxus said, rolling his eyes.

"Last Friday. I went home because, you know… Kind of got mad and needed to calm myself down because of the entire affair thing," And for the most part, he'd actually been able to move past it. There was still a tiny bit inside him that hated it all, but somehow, getting closer to Lucy with the baby and everything had let him forget all of it, and Lucy was dealing with it all a lot better, too. "That was when we found out about the baby. Like, in the space between me going home and going back to work."

"Right…"

"Yeah. Okay, so now Monday. Lucy ended up in hospital because Mira freaked out about the baby getting hurt—"

"Wait, Mira knew?" Laxus cut in.

Bickslow nodded as a smirk pulled at his lips. "Yeah. Mira's the one who made Lucy think she might have been pregnant in the first place. Also, Gajeel and Levy know. No one else knows yet."

"Of course she did…"

"Anyway," Bickslow said, chuckling lightly as he sat back in the chair again. "Lucy got sent home to rest, and since her doctor was actually a neighbour from across the hall, he called his wife to have her watch Ingrid for the rest of the afternoon, so we basically just slept the rest of the day."

"So Lucy gets put on bed rest for the rest of the day, and somehow, that translates into you getting bed rest too?" Laxus asked, slightly bemused. Bickslow's stories were always a little confusing, if not somewhat entertaining sometimes.

Bickslow nodded again. "I told you, we were at the hospital until like four o'clock with Levy and Gajeel. I was practically the walking dead on Monday morning."

"Right, whatever…" Laxus rolled his eyes, taking another drink from the bottle. "What about today?" he asked.

"Lucy had an appointment and I wanted to go."

"Appointment?"

"Yeah. Like, ultrasound and shit. Pretty neat, actually," he said with a grin.

Laxus rubbed at his eyes when he leant forward to place the bottle back on the coffee table. "Couldn't you have just told me all of this earlier?"

"No, because I would have had to explain the entire thing, and I wasn't doing that with Erza in the room. Besides, we're not telling people yet."

"You just told me."

"Because you were being a dick."

Laxus smirked. "I'm still your boss."

"And you're still a dick," Bickslow chuckled. He'd always insulted Laxus. Always. He was probably one of the only people who could get away with calling him names, and it was just because they'd known each other for so long and were best friends. Laxus knew Bickslow always told the truth, but he never really said anything to seriously offend someone. Bickslow was the type of person to be blunt, but still care about someone's feelings.

He was a weird person, but everyone knew that.

"But seriously though," Bickslow said after he'd finished insulting his friend. "I kind of need you to get off my back if I miss a few days here and there over the next few months."

Laxus sighed. "I take it there's going to be a lot of these so called appointments?" he asked.

"Every month or so for a while," Bickslow shrugged. Then, he pushed his hands into the armrests to stand, and slowly made his way around the outdoor lounge suite and to the glass doors leading back into the apartment. "Anyway," he said, stopping just by the door as Laxus slowly pushed himself to his feet as well. "I explained it all, and I'm tired. I'm just gonna head home."

But Laxus wasn't entirely convinced Bickslow had explained all of it. He felt like there was something else that would make the entire picture come together, but he wasn't entirely sure what.

So before Bickslow could make his way back inside, Laxus' voice stopped him. "Are you sure you two are doing the right thing?" he asked cautiously, folding his arms across his chest.

Laxus may not have understood all of it entirely, but the fact that Bickslow and Lucy were so set on keeping the baby was something that didn't quite make sense. He'd known Bickslow for years, and he knew Bickslow wasn't the biggest fan of kids. Hell, he hated them, and he'd made that quite clear on multiple occasions. Sure, they'd all seen him with Ingrid, and he quite clearly loved her – like any normal parent would love their child – but Laxus still couldn't quite see Bickslow wanting another one, whether it was his child or not.

Something just didn't quite add up, somehow.

"We talked about this," Bickslow said quietly as he looked over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets. "And yeah, we're sure it's the right thing to do." But even if it wasn't, Bickslow didn't see how it was really anyone else's concern. Sure, they'd have to know, and sure, they were quite obviously going to be concerned about the same thing Laxus was, but still, it was really none of their business.

It only really mattered to Lucy and Bickslow whether it was the right thing, and they were both convinced that keeping the baby was the right thing to do for them.

Laxus rubbed at his eyes again then. It was almost driving him insane – the nagging feeling that there was something else right in front of him that he couldn't see. He just wanted to know what it was, but he couldn't think of the right question or the right words.

"But… why?" he asked instead. It was the only thing he could think of at the time. "Why are you so convinced another baby is a good idea?"

Bickslow turned around then and folded his arms as he took his hands out of his pockets. Laxus' questions were on the verge of annoying, and Bickslow wasn't one to yell or get mad often, but he knew he would be soon if Laxus didn't stop. He didn't need his friend questioning everything in his personal life.

"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not," Bickslow responded. "The fact is we both want it, so we're keeping it. We're having a baby, alright? Just deal with it."

Laxus groaned, his hands running down his face. "I just don't see why you'd want to keep it so desperately. Most people wouldn't be so sure unless they were like, in love or something," he shot back just as quickly. And as soon as the words had left his mouth, Laxus finally saw what had been in front of him the entire time, and he dropped his hands to stare back at his friend in shock. "Shit," he whispered. "You are."

Bickslow could only shake his head as he looked down to the ground. Nope. Nope. Nope. The conversation wasn't supposed to have taken that turn.

 _Fuck_.

Without a single word, Bickslow turned back around and made his way back onto Laxus' apartment, leaving the blond man stunned and speechless on his own balcony as he made his way back to the elevator just so he could go home.

How the hell was Bickslow supposed to respond with that?

Yes? No? Maybe?

Because hell, it was actually entirely possible he was, and that was fucking terrifying. He didn't want to believe it, because it didn't make any sense.

When? How? Why?

Bickslow so desperately wanted to know the answers to those questions, because for once in his life, he wanted something to actually make sense. He wanted something to be as clear as day, because right up until that very moment, there were very few things he was one hundred percent certain of and completely understood.

Whether he was in love with Lucy was not one of those things he was certain of, and if anything, it was the thing he wanted to know the most.

But damn it, it was that goddamn book.

Ever since he'd started reading that goddamn book about themselves in their old world, he'd begun to see that he cared about her… maybe too much. He'd begun to question whether he was actually in love with her himself, and it was scary as all hell.


	22. Chapter 22

"Go on, Ingrid. Wake Daddy up."

If it wasn't Lucy's giggling and words of encouragement to Ingrid that were slowly easing Bickslow out of his sleep, then it was the tiny hand that was pawing at his face, roughly grasping and swatting at him.

He slowly tried to turn his head to push the side of his face into the pillow more with a quiet groan, except when it did, it just gave Ingrid access to his ear and the shorter tufts of hair on the sides of his head, and she instead began to pull on those while occasionally grasping at his cheek open-handedly.

"Aw, does the birthday boy not want to get up today?" Lucy teased, laughing again when Bickslow turned his head back sightly so Ingrid couldn't pull on his hair anymore. Lucy knew the pain though, because as Ingrid's fine motor skills developed, she pulled on hair. A lot. And for such a small person, it actually hurt.

"No, he does not," Bickslow mumbled as a smile pulled at his lips, just from seeing Ingrid right before him. He always smiled when he saw Ingrid, even if it was some ungodly hour in the morning and he'd been woken up by the curiosity of the infant, because much like Lucy's smile and laugh, Ingrid's own were highly contagious. Of course, it was just another set of things Ingrid inherited from her mother, not that Bickslow was complaining.

But even though he was smiling and still letting Ingrid swat at his face as he rolled onto his side, he still didn't want to get up.

Because it was his birthday.

And under normal circumstances, Bickslow wouldn't have been so depressed as soon as he'd woken up on his birthday, but this one was different. Along with all of the differences between themselves and their counterparts, their ages were also different. So instead of turning twenty-three on that fine day, he was turning twenty-seven.

Not twenty-three, but twenty-seven, which meant he'd basically skipped most of his twenties, and he was now considerably closer to that not so magical thirty. Lucy, on the other hand… well, she was lucky, because she was turning what Bickslow should have been in just a couple more months.

But if the age itself wasn't the most depressing thing to Bickslow, then it was the fact that the five odd years he'd missed had actually been spent with Lucy in that world, and Bickslow was almost jealous of his other self for that. Sure, the guy might have been the biggest asshole on the planet for cheating on his wife, but still, he'd spent nearly five years with her; three years of apparent dating before he'd proposed, and their second wedding anniversary would be coming up shortly too.

The fact that Bickslow himself had missed those nearly five years was disheartening, because he figured they would have been great. Sure, they'd each occasionally _remember_ things from their lives in that world – memories that weren't actually their own – but he still wished he'd had it all. He didn't want just the few odd memories, because if anything, they made it worse. They were just reminders that they'd essentially taken over someone's life and world; that Ingrid and the baby weren't really and truly theirs, either, no matter how much they saw them as their own.

And if they could get over all of that, then they would, but until they figured out a way to finally get past it all, to let themselves truly see their lives as their own and not someone else's, they were stuck with those constant reminders, however infrequent or frequent they may be.

Until they found that way, though, they were never really going to be as happy as they possibly could be, despite being incredibly happy with how things were then in that very moment.

Lucy sat forward on her knees, leaning on her elbows with her chin resting in her palms and a wide grin on her face – partly because so far, she didn't feel half as terrible as what she usually had for the last couple of weeks. "So, did you want to do anything later for your birthday, or were you going to go hang out with Laxus and the rest of your team?" she asked, straightening to rest her hands on the tops of her thighs instead when Bickslow slowly sat up and rubbed his hands through his already dishevelled hair.

Honestly, Lucy wouldn't have minded if Bickslow decided he'd rather do something with her instead of his team or something, but if he chose to spend his birthday with his team, she wouldn't be upset. Herself and Bickslow were close – and getting closer every day without actually talking about anything still – but she knew his team were still his best friends.

Bickslow shrugged as he lifted up Ingrid from where she was barely holding herself up on her arms on the soft mattress, and then he gently started to bounce Ingrid with her feet resting on his legs before she could start kicking and giggling with her sheer delight (it was something neither Bickslow nor Lucy could see as being so entertaining).

"I don't really feel like doing anything, so I'll probably just come home after work," he said, smiling as he watched Ingrid amuse herself by something so simple as he lifted her ever so slightly every now and then. Then, with a smirk directed at Lucy, he added, "Besides, I'd rather spend my birthday with my two favourite girls."

And it was the truth. Mostly. Ingrid was his favourite girl, and so was Lucy. Of course, the fact that he really would rather spend his free time with Lucy and Ingrid wasn't the only reason he'd prefer to just go home after his birthday instead of go out with his team, which he usually did every year.

It was because he hadn't spoken to Laxus since their little conversation on the Friday of the week before. Bickslow was doing his best at avoiding him, but it was kind of hard when he worked with him. When it came to the meetings he'd had over the last two days, he'd answered all the work-related questions Laxus had shot at him, but that was it. Bickslow just didn't want to talk to Laxus, because he knew that if he did, Laxus would ask what was going on between himself and Lucy, and the truth was that he didn't know.

He still didn't know what was going on between them, and he still didn't know whether he was actually in love with her or not.

The only problem was that he really wanted to know the answers to both of those, but at the same time, he didn't want to know. Bickslow liked the ways things were going with Lucy, and he didn't want to ruin it by maybe hinting or even pushing into something that was a little… clearer. More official, even.

He'd never been good with ' _official'_ relationships, and that was because he'd never really had one. He was an _idiotic_ _womanising_ _ass_ , and he always had been. He didn't do relationships, because they were tricky. They were hard, time consuming, involved way too much effort and he'd never been one to enjoy commitments. Casual flings were convenient. He got what he wanted, and someone else got what they wanted. No strings attached. He didn't care when he hurt their feelings after he got bored and they got too attached, and if anything, he found it amusing.

He got a kick out of toying with someone's emotions.

Bickslow just wasn't a very nice person.

But when it came to Lucy, Bickslow actually wanted a relationship, or something close to one, at least. He didn't want anything casual and meaningless, and he didn't want to toy with her emotions and end up hurting her.

But he also didn't want to end up ruining what they had, because what if they did end up exploring the idea of _them_ together a little more thoroughly, and what if they actually got to a stage where they really were a ' _we_ ' or an ' _us_ ,' only to end up having a falling out? What then? That couldn't happen, not when they lived together, they had Ingrid, and another baby on the way. They were constantly going to be in each other's lives, so Bickslow didn't want to risk making things uncomfortable again.

It was just that Bickslow was simultaneously scared of actually maybe getting Lucy, and also losing her.

"Only your _two_ favourites?" Lucy said, another bubbly laugh escaping. "I believe you mean _three_."

"It's not a girl," he insisted.

She shrugged then, crawling backwards to the edge of the bed to head over to the bathroom to take a quick shower. "We'll just have to wait and see about that," she said, giggling again as she closed the door behind her, leaving Bickslow on the bed with Ingrid.

* * *

Lucy stood in front of the dining table and staring up at the photos on the wall just next to it. There was something about them that had just been irritating her for a while, and until Bickslow walked into the room, quickly shrugging the black jacket on as he emerged from the hall, Lucy hadn't known what it was.

It wasn't just that the centrepiece of the entire arrangement had been missing since Bickslow had broken it, and was now just an empty spot on the wall.

It was that the photos were, if anything, the biggest reminder that their lives weren't really theirs, and they never once had been.

And they'd tried moving past that, and they'd tried making them their own lives, but no matter what they did, there'd always been those memories; those reminders. Whether they be the occasional thought that popped into their heads at any given moment, a sudden glimpse of a memory – something they'd done and experienced together in that world, or something physical.

Something like the wedding rings that they'd each stopped wearing, or like the photos that were everywhere.

Those reminders were things they'd always lived with throughout their time in that world, yet it had only been in the last couple of weeks that their hatred for those constant reminders had grown to new levels.

It had only been since they'd found out Lucy was pregnant, and they'd grown close in such a short amount of time, and had really tried their hardest to make their lives truly their own. More so than usual, anyway.

Not even two weeks earlier, she'd had her heart completely shattered, and it was something that neither could have done anything about. It was an unfortunate and unfair event, but it had happened and there was no other choice but to move on from it and try and get over it as best she could. The only issue was that she's been able to move on and put it behind her much quicker than she reasoned she was supposed to. Not even two weeks later, her heart was back in one piece and she was _happy_ , when there'd been a period where not that long ago where she'd resigned to feeling hurt and betrayed for a long time to come.

But even though she was happy, she wanted to be happier. She wanted a life that was truly her own.

Was that greedy of her to want that? Surely not.

Surely it wasn't greedy to be as happy as possible, and Lucy could see that kind of life right in front of her. It wasn't in the photos, because those photos were just reminders. She wasn't going to get happiness from those.

But she could, however, get it from her family; her family that were all in the same room, right then and right there. They were her happiness, and that was the life that she wanted to call solely her own. It was Bickslow, Ingrid, and the baby that would give her that complete happiness, but despite it being so close, it was so far away.

There was something blocking her from getting it, and as silly as it was, Lucy was convinced it was the damn photographs on the wall that she'd been staring at the for the last twenty minutes.

But she'd had enough of that. She couldn't stare any longer. She couldn't be constantly reminded of all that wasn't hers.

So Lucy turned and pulled out one of the chairs from the dining table and dragged it just that little bit closer to where she stood, and pushed it up against the console table against the wall. She took a hold of the red and black striped fabric of the dress she was wearing, and lifted it up just enough so she could carefully climb up onto the chair before letting go of it and letting the hem fall back to just above her ankles.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?!"

Lucy made something close to resembling a squeak as she was suddenly pulled from the chair before she could even get one of the frames at the top, and her hands instinctively held onto the strong arms that had wrapped around her and just below her hips.

"What am _I_ doing?" she shrieked, looking back over her shoulder to Bickslow. "What the hell are _you_ doing?! Put me down!"

He shook his head. "I asked first. What were you doing standing on a chair? You could have fallen."

"Oh, like hell I would have!"

"But you could have," Bickslow insisted. He was set on not letting Lucy leave the actual ground for the next seven odd months. No chairs, ladders, or anything of the sort, because he didn't want to risk letting her get hurt. Or hurting the baby, for that matter. He couldn't have that happen.

Lucy rolled her eyes. She knew what it was about, because it wasn't the first time Bickslow had been just a little bit too paranoid about her safety, and the baby's, she guessed. Just on the weekend, she'd been carrying a slightly fuller than usual washing basket to the bedroom to sort it out on the bed like they usually did, except Bickslow had basically pried the basket from her hands as soon as she'd left the damn laundry and went on about how she shouldn't be lifting something so heavy. Hell, she was convinced Ingrid weighed more than the washing did, and it wasn't like Bickslow was going to tell her she couldn't hold Ingrid.

Well… she hoped. Though, he wasn't going to be able to stop her from holding her daughter, no matter how hard he tried.

But still, Bickslow was already being a little too overbearing with the simplest of things. She wasn't going to fall from the chair, but she knew he wasn't going to give up.

"I wouldn't have fallen," she sighed. "Now, can you put me down?"

"Are you going to get back on the chair if I put you down?"

"No," she muttered.

Bickslow grinned as he loosened the hold he had on her and gently lowered her to her feet on the ground, not on the chair. He considered it a win. "Good," he said. So then, when he pushed the chair back to the table, he looked back down to Lucy who was back to staring at the photos with a slight scowl. "What were you even doing?"

"I want to take them all down," she replied, and as she unfolded her arms and stepped towards the console table next to the wall, and instead reached for a photo that was actually within reach. "They're reminders, and I don't want to see them anymore. I just… I just don't want to keep pretending that I did all of this. I just want to have my own life without everything reminding me that not even this is truly my own life," she mumbled.

And Bickslow really did understand that, and for the first time, he too saw the photos as what they really were: reminders of a life they didn't really live, and reminders of the fact they were still trying to create their own lives from all of the mess.

Without a single word, he went for the frames at the top that he could reach easy enough without actually having to stand on a chair, unlike Lucy. Who knows? Maybe having the photos gone would actually help them move on. At that point, they were willing to try anything, because even without talking about it, they both knew they felt the same in regards to wanting a life they could call their own. Truly.

And for Lucy, that wasn't just limited to getting rid of all of the reminders of her and Bickslow's counterparts. The life she called her own was one that made her happy – really happy – and there was still one thing she had to deal with, and luckily for her, she'd known how to deal with that one for a bit.

The only reason Lucy was happy then was because of Bickslow. Bickslow was the reason her heart was in one piece, even though he'd indirectly shattered it in the first place. Bickslow was the only reason she'd gotten through everything in the last week and a bit – hell, he was the only reason she'd made it that far in the new world in general. Ever since day one, he'd been by her side, and ever since day one, he'd been helping her. Of course, she didn't realise just how long he'd been doing so until recently.

He'd been there when she was confused and upset by Natsu and Lisanna for no reason. He'd been there when she'd been panicking about having to suddenly look after a baby, and he'd been there to help her figure it all out because they'd had no other choice but to learn, even though he'd also been freaking out about it all. He'd been there to tell her everything would be okay when they'd found out she was pregnant, and he'd been there, by her side, ever since.

He'd held her when she'd needed to be held, he'd made her laugh when she'd needed to only smile, and he'd given her space on the odd occasion she'd needed it. He'd given her everything she'd needed in the last month and a half; everything and more, and he'd been the one to be there for her when no one else had been.

But most of all, he'd made her happy, when she'd been convinced she wasn't going to be for a long time. Bickslow had made her happy in a world that was confusing and terrifying, but she knew she wasn't as happy as she could be.

She could still be happier, but she needed to do something. She needed to take a chance, because she was done avoiding it all. No more avoiding, running, or just waiting to see where things would end up going. Lucy knew exactly what she wanted, and that was Bickslow. The only problem she faced then was that she didn't know what Bickslow wanted.

She didn't know if Bickslow was fine with the way things were between them, or if he wanted more like she did.

But even though she was scared about what would happen, because she was putting her feelings out in the open for once and she was going to be incredibly exposed, she knew it had to be done.

It needed to be done because it was the only way Lucy was going to be able to understand what she felt for Bickslow, because the fact she didn't quite understand her own feelings and emotions was terrifying. She knew she cared for him more than she should after an incredibly short amount of time, and that she'd never felt like that before. For anyone. Everything was all so new and scary, yet… It made her all the more excited.

She'd come across something once that said it only took one fifth of a second to fall in love. That was all it took for your brain to go into overdrive and flood your body with hormones that makes you get that rush and that high from seeing someone. Of course, it probably didn't help that her body was already being overrun with hormones from the pregnancy that were already making her just a little bit crazy, but she couldn't help but think there was a very real possibility she'd somehow fallen in love with Bickslow.

Or she was at least _falling_ in love with him.

Lucy was the type of person who believed in that _'love at first sight'_ nonsense, but it wasn't something she'd exactly based her life on, either. Sure, she believed that it was possible to know that you've met the right person for you as soon pretty quickly, but she also believed it was going to take more than one fifth of a second, one minute, or even one day to actually fall in love.

But somehow, with Bickslow, she wanted to throw all of that out of the window. It wasn't like she believed Bickslow was _'the one'_ for her, because she didn't. Though he might be. She didn't know, but she wanted to.

Still, she needed to see where things with Bickslow were going, because she needed to see if what she felt was actual love, and not just her hormones going haywire.

She needed to see if they could work together, because hell, when she stared at pictures of different versions of them on a daily basis, she couldn't help but wonder if they worked in every universe or world or dimension. That wasn't even bringing up her book, either, because those characters had been based on them – the _real_ them, so there wasn't just one case of a Bickslow and Lucy working out, but there was two. There were two separate versions of themselves that found a way to work, and the fact that one of them was fiction was irrelevant.

Lucy was a dreamer. She could dream about fiction all day long, because she was also an author. It's just what she did.

She was a dreamer and an author, and right then, her dreams of happiness were centred on Bickslow.

So as Bickslow turned to place one of the frames on the table with the other ones they'd been slowly removing from the wall, Lucy quickly reached out to wrap her hands around his tie and she pulled him down, letting his lips crash against hers. She'd needed to do something bold just to get it started, because there was no way she was going to be able to get that conversation going with just words alone, because there was a chance the words wouldn't have come out at all.

And the kiss had surprised Bickslow at first, but just as quickly as the shock had come over him, it had disappeared – in a split second, really – and his hands had sought out her waist to hold her against him.

"I don't want to keep avoiding things, Bicks," she whispered once they'd pulled apart and he'd lowered his head slightly to rest his forehead on hers.

Ah, so it was time for the somewhat dreaded, mostly anticipated conversation about their relationship or lack thereof and what they were doing about it. Even though he still didn't know whether he was in love with her or not and he was scared of losing her, he knew that it was time to stop avoiding things. They needed to have a conversation about where they were going, and he realised that it was a conversation he wanted to have.

He wanted to have that conversation because he wanted to see if there was an actual possibility of them working out together, maybe in the long run, and there was no way they'd figure that out if they were stuck in the stage of both wanting it yet not wanting to ruin what they had, because what they had was great.

But it was a chance. It was time to take that chance and see if things could work out, and maybe, just maybe, it would help Bickslow figure out how feelings, god, did he want that.

"Neither do I," he said softly. "But… Can we avoid it for a little bit longer? Just until tonight."

"Oh… Okay?" She didn't understand why they couldn't have that conversation right then. Why would he want to wait?

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth then. "I'm late for work. Trust me, I'd rather stay here and do this." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips then. "But I've gotta go."

 _Oh! Of course! Work!_

Lucy wanted to slap her own forehead then as she let out a quiet giggle with a slight nod. "Right, yeah," she mumbled as they separated, Bickslow going around to the table by the door to grab his keys and Lucy returning to the wall to finish taking down the photos.

After crouching down to kiss the top of Ingrid's head and say good bye to the infant occupying herself with some of her toys on the rug in the lounge, Bickslow went back to the door. "I'll see you later, alright?" he said, pulling the front door open and quickly making sure he had everything else he needed in his pockets.

Lucy nodded as she placed another frame on the stack on the table. "Enjoy your day," she said cheerily. "And don't work too hard."

"You know I won't," he said with a smirk and pulled the door closed gently.

But hey, so far, things had gone pretty well. His day could only get better from there, and maybe, just maybe, his day would end with something even better, and he couldn't help but look forward to that.

They were still trying to move on and create their own lives, and finally, there was a possibility of those lives actually being together – not because they had to because of Ingrid and the façade they'd been almost forced to keep up, but because they wanted to be.

How could Bickslow not enjoy his day when he had all of that going for him?

* * *

Bickslow sat at his desk with his ankles crossed and on the top of the desk as he stared out into the city and aimlessly swirled the liquid around his mouth before swallowing it, ignoring the faintest of burns as it slid down. The sun had long since set, yet he was still at work, almost wallowing in his own misery. His day wasn't supposed to have ending like that. He was supposed to have enjoyed his day; his _entire_ day.

And sure, his day had been going pretty well for the most part. He'd gone to all of his stupid meetings (bar the one that Laxus had requested he go to, like he had for the last two days), he'd caught up on reports and paperwork, and he ate a pink cupcake and blew out the candle on top of it when someone came into his office with it.

He'd laughed at Evergreen's gift of an inflatable zimmer frame, and he'd smiled at Freed's, which was an incredibly fine bottle of twenty-one-year-old whiskey that he never expected to be opening and drinking alone that same night, partly because he rarely had time to drink those days. Not that he missed it much, anyway. A few gifts cards, a couple of random small gifts that made him chuckle, and a whole bunch of birthday cards from people who worked on the floor or knew him from around the building.

For the most part, it had been a good day.

But then he'd had some free time between one meeting and the last meeting of the day, and he'd managed to finish the book that the other Lucy had written. The last goddamn line of the entire fucking book was _'I always loved you,'_ and it was essentially Bickslow who said it. To Lucy. About Lucy.

You see, Bickslow now had a bit of a problem, now that he'd finished the book. Not only did he finally realise why Lucy had said ' _interesting'_ once she'd finished it, because that was all he'd been able to say once he'd put the damn thing down, but he also realised something else, and that something else was much, _much_ more important. It was the question he'd been tormenting himself with for… days? Weeks? He didn't know anymore, because as soon as that one idea had popped into his head, he hadn't been able to let it go. He'd just stopped counting how long it was, because he could no longer tell if it was something recent or something that he'd been ignoring for so long.

Somehow, finishing the book had made him realise his true feelings, and he really didn't know how a book of all things could have done that. Maybe it was because the book ran uncannily parallel to their lives in that moment, or maybe it was because the book was about them.

But even though it was fiction – and Bickslow had to remember that – it helped him understand his feelings. Seeing the Bickslow in the book struggle with the exact same thing he'd been going through then allowed him to finally see something that had been there for god knows how long, but he could see it clearly, and that was all Bickslow had wanted.

He could finally see that he was in love with Lucy. It wasn't just a possibility. It wasn't incredibly likely that he was. It wasn't that he _might_ be in love with her.

He was in love with her. He loved Lucy.

And that was exactly why Bickslow had a problem. Most people were happy when they realise they're in love, but Bickslow wasn't one of those people. Sure, he was happy, to an extent, but he was also confused as all hell, and beyond anything, scared. Love shouldn't have been something that scared him, but the entire time, that's all he'd been.

It was simple, yet complex. It was easy, yet difficult. It was amazing, beautiful, fun, and… fulfilling.

But it was love, and that's what scared him.

It was new, but it was also old, because he had no idea how long he'd been in love with her. Maybe it had been always, like in the book; maybe all of the times he'd promised himself to never hurt her again – or see her be hurt – and all the times he'd felt like he cared about her safety and her as a whole just a little bit too much whilst still in their own world had been him being in love with her. What if everything he'd ever thought was just his guilt over hurting her and wanting to protect her was because he'd been in love with her and he'd just never seen it, or even though about the possibility of it.

Fuck, what if he really had been in love with her the entire time?

But… did it really matter how long he'd been in love with her? The more Bickslow drank and stared out at the city lights beneath and around him, the more he questioned just what he was doing. Why the fuck had he been over-thinking everything and making things problematic for himself? Why had been questioning everything? Why had he been drinking in his office alone since five o'clock?

Hell, why the fuck was he even at work? He had no reason to be wallowing in misery, because he just had no reason to be miserable. He had no reason to be confused or scared (sort of), because he only had a reason to be over the fucking moon.

It didn't matter how long he'd been in love with Lucy, why he was, or how it had happened. The only thing that mattered was that he was. He was without a doubt in love with her, and suddenly, it was like someone had thrown a chair at his head or something, because all off the muddled up thoughts that he'd been so confused over for god knows how long, were all in a somewhat logical order.

He loved Lucy, and he was happy about that. Like a normal person, he was actually happy about being in love. For the first time. It was amazing, beautiful, and fun, and fulfilling. When he thought about all of that, he thought of Lucy; she was amazing, beautiful, fun, and she'd made his life more fulfilled, and it wasn't just because of Ingrid, the baby, and being a father. It was her, too.

He wasn't supposed to be in his office, he was supposed to be back at home with Lucy and Ingrid, even though she was probably asleep by now since it was just past eight. He was supposed to be home, because that's where he was happiest.

Besides, just thinking about the fact Lucy wanted to actually try and making something work between them and it made Bickslow all the more excited. He needed to go and have that conversation, and he needed to try and refrain from blurting out that he loved her, because right then, all he wanted to do was shout it out.

Because damn it, he somehow fell in love with her without even noticing any of it, and somehow, she actually wanted to be with _him_. That was pretty damn amazing.

* * *

Lucy lazily lifted her arm to flick the lever on the side of the toilet to flush it, and a quiet groan escaped her lips as she slumped back against the cool tiled wall. She was too damn hot right then, even though she was only wearing a thin dress, and if she could have, she probably would have stuffed herself into the freezer drawer just so she could cool off a little bit.

But of course, even if she had been able to fit, she couldn't have done so anyway, because by the time Lucy had put Ingrid to bed and gone about her usual bedtime routine, she'd been spending way too much time with her head over the toilet bowl and emptying the contents of her stomach.

By that point of the night, being just a little past eight, she was convinced there was nothing left to throw up. At all. Like, she could literally feel herself being done and empty. Of course, that nagging feeling of nausea that was almost constantly upon her those days never quite left, and on that day, it was more disappointing and depressing than usual.

She'd woken up that day, feeling somewhat more energised than usual, and she didn't feel half as sick. But by midday, her energy levels had dropped severely and she'd even had to squeeze in a quick nap while Ingrid had one of her own. As the day went on, though, she felt progressively worse and worse, and her day had instantly been ruined after she'd rushed off to the closest sink or toilet in the entire apartment, just so she could avoid vomiting all over the floors she'd just vacuumed.

Lucy had been so happy that morning, because she thought that maybe, just maybe, she was going to get a reprieve from the ' _morning'_ sickness that hadn't left her alone since that first day she'd started to feel a little ill. Just a few days; that's all Lucy wanted. Just a few days where she felt like a somewhat decent human being and that her body wasn't currently out to get her or something. Or even just one day. Just one day would be enough for her.

But nope, her body was really out to get her, and was apparently doing its best to make her hate being pregnant, even though she was only on the seventh week and third day of being so. And yes, she'd started counting. It wasn't like it was accurate, though, because it was all just an estimation – conception, age, due date. They were all rough estimates. But after her appointment on the Friday and she'd been given a range, she felt that wasn't enough. She wanted to enjoy it all (even though she really was not enjoying a certain aspect of it), and in her mind, that meant counting the days. So the Sunday following the appointment had been deemed seven weeks, just because it fell right in the middle of the two dates and ages she'd been given.

So there she was on a Wednesday night, seven weeks and three days pregnant, sitting on the bathroom floor with her head backed into the wall as she tried to catch her breath. She couldn't even care that Bickslow hadn't come home earlier, and even if she had the ability to care, she didn't think she would. She told herself that he'd probably just gone out with his friends or something, and that was fine. He had his own life outside of her and Ingrid.

It was all fine.

Besides, she didn't think she'd be very fun to hang around when at that point, she didn't even have the energy to get up by herself. It didn't help that the wall was cooling her down. Slowly.

"Luce, sorry I didn't come home sooner."

She inwardly groaned as Bickslow's voice drifted down the hall and through the open door.

He frowned as he dropped his house keys to the table by the door, locking it behind him. Usually at that time of night, she was on the lounge and watching some random T.V. show or movie, or reading a book, but when he did a quick once-over of the living area, he realised that she was probably sitting up in bed with a book or something. She'd been doing that more often since she'd been going to be earlier.

So he made his way down the hall, loosening his tie and untucking his shirt as he went. When he walked past the door to the bathroom in the hall and saw that the light was on, he habitually turned his head to look inside, and when he saw the blonde sitting in a heap with the faintest of smiles, he instantly rushed in and crouched down in front of her.

"Shit, you okay?" he asked, a hand reaching out to gently push back the damp hair that stuck to her face. Her skin was clammy and she was slightly panting – something he'd seen more than once in the last couple of weeks.

"Just peachy," she breathed. When Bickslow shook his head lightly, she let out the faintest of laughs. "Help me up?"

As Bickslow's brow furrowed, he slowly pulled her to her feet. He looked down in concern when she wobbled slightly, and when she pulled away to steady herself against the wall and turn to face the shower in one corner, he asked, "Are you even going to be able to stay on your feet?"

"I'll be fine," she said as Bickslow finally let go of her and she could slide open the glass door and turn the water on in the shower.

So with a shrug, Bickslow turned and headed back for the hall and closed the door behind him, leaving her to shower in peace. To that day, it still amazed him how she could still be happy, even though she was quite clearly exhausted and probably feeling disgusting.

Hell, maybe it was because she was finally enjoying being pregnant to the fullest instead of being so worried about losing it?

Bickslow hoped that's what it was.

* * *

"So how was your day?" Lucy whispered, the corner of her lips pulling up into a soft smile as she watched Bickslow climb into the bed through heavy eyes. She was absolutely exhausted, and she would have gone straight to bed after she'd had a shower to cool herself down slightly and make her feel a little more human again, had she not forced herself to have something light for dinner, just so she wasn't going to bed on an empty stomach. So far, her dinner of toast and a hell of a lot of water (she'd learnt her lesson when it came to dehydration) had decided to stay down, and she hoped it stayed that way.

Bickslow turned to switch off the lamp on the nightstand, leaving the room in almost complete darkness before he rolled back onto his stomach and was facing Lucy. "Not bad," he mumbled into the pillow, getting himself comfortable and ready to drift off to sleep shortly, once their own night time ritual of talking about their days in bed while half asleep had been completed. He had to admit that he looked forward to it, though. It was nice – relaxing – and it was a great way to unwind for the night. "Laughed at Ever, ignored Laxus, pretended to be thankful for weird gifts, did my job, and then drank alone in my office. Pretty great day. How was yours?"

 _Shit_. Looks like the alcohol had actually hit him more than he'd anticipated. He hadn't really drunk that much…Only a few glasses. Or something like that.

He didn't count, to be honest. He'd been too busy being miserable and then internally yelling at himself, and he'd come to realise that it was entirely because of the alcohol.

Ah, what a wonderful thing alcohol is.

"Pretty boring, honestly, but why were you ignoring Laxus?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as best she could before she finally stopped trying to keep her eyes open to look at the dark outline of Bickslow in front of her, and close them. As soon as she'd done so, she felt sleep all that much closer. "And why were you drinking in your office alone?"

"We had an argument… of sorts… And because I needed to think about some things."

She sighed then as she shifted ever so slightly in an attempt to make herself more comfortable. "Alright then," she mumbled. Then, as a small smile tugged at her mouth again, she whispered, "You know, I was going to get you something for your birthday…"

"You didn't need to."

"I know, and that's why I didn't."

"Good," he whispered with his own small smile that no one would be able to see in the dark.

But then, after a moment of silence where the only noise in the room was from the occasional shifting of blankets or pillows as they both found themselves getting pulled deeper and deeper into unconsciousness, Lucy whispered right before she finally crossed that threshold, "I realised I didn't need to get you anything because I'm already giving you a baby."

And so as Lucy drifted off to sleep first, Bickslow's last thoughts before he followed were all of that same blonde. She was giving him a baby – his baby – and for that, she'd never need to get him an actual gift or anything for the rest of her life. For as long as he lived, it would be enough. Ingrid, the baby, and Lucy would be enough and they'd outdo any gift anyone could ever give him, no matter how extravagant or expensive it is.

Because he was slowly coming to see that a family is priceless, and it was always going to be the thing he held most dear in his life, and Lucy, Ingrid, and the baby were his family.

So soon, everyone in the house was peacefully asleep – Ingrid was still sleeping through the night (most of the time), Bickslow was out like a light and would be until morning, and Lucy was quietly turning in her sleep. Everyone was happy and peaceful and relaxed and everything was quiet.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that anyone woke up, and as usual it was Lucy, except this time, it was earlier than usual. But it wasn't all that surprising, because as she slowly got her bearings, she became aware of the reason she'd woken up in the first place, and that was because she really needed to pee.

 _Damn baby_ , she cursed herself. Needing to pee more often was beginning to get inconvenient, just like needing to throw up more than once a day was.

Except, the more she woke up, the more she realised something was wrong, and as the seconds seemed to slow down, she found herself beginning to panic as she lazily reached out in the dark to turn on the lamp on the nightstand. Her mind instantly jumped to every single horrible conclusion it could come up with as she noticed the wet feeling between her legs – one that was simultaneously familiar and frightening.

And that was when the panic and horror really struck her, and when she kicked the covers back and looked down at her legs and her usual pyjama bottoms, she felt her heart begin to race and her hands began to shake as she scrambled to sit up in the bed.

"No, no, no, no, no…" she said, starting out as a whisper and getting louder with each one as she looked down at the red stain on the white sheets right beneath where she'd been laying, and the ones that covered the crotch of her shorts, no doubt the back, and the insides of her thighs.

It was every woman's worst nightmare, and right then, Lucy felt like she really was in a nightmare, yet she knew it was real. It was why she hadn't wanted to get attached to the baby and get too happy about the idea of having one and being pregnant, and it was because of what she was scared was happening right then.

"Bicks, please…" she whispered, a hand idly reaching out to shove at his shoulder or arm or something – she wasn't looking because she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sheets. "Get up, please," she pleaded, a little louder.

She needed Bickslow to get up to take her to the hospital, and she needed Bickslow to get up and tell her that everything was going to be fine and that she wasn't losing the baby like she'd dreaded.

She needed everything to be fine.


	23. Chapter 23

The door to the apartment was opened and the first person to walk through was Lucy as Bickslow held the door open with hand while Ingrid was supported in his other arm. The morning had been surprisingly quiet; incredibly stressful, but quiet, and it was only because neither one really had the words to talk about anything.

Lucy had been discharged at a little past 9 a.m., having spent only a few hours in the emergency department, and they were all back home by half past. They could have been home sooner, but Dr. Delia had been notified and instead of going home after she'd been attended to by one of the emergency ward doctors and one of the midwives on the floor as soon as she'd arrived, Lucy had opted to stay and wait for her chosen doctor's arrival. It was something that she hadn't regretted, because she felt a little bit more informed about what was happening.

But even though she knew what was happening and what had happened, she hadn't stopped worrying since she'd woken up. Her entire internal state had been in constant emotional chaos, and if anything, she was worrying more now that she knew what it was.

And honestly, she was terrified.

So when Bickslow went to put Ingrid back in her crib for a little while, Lucy went straight back down to the bedroom. She grimaced when she looked back to the blood-stained sheets and wiped the tears that were slowly pooling in her eyes with the back of her hand. She couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry.

She had too much to do.

The sheets needed to be washed, and the bed need to be made. And the bathroom needed to be cleaned, and Ingrid needed to be looked after…

She didn't have time to rest. She had things to do.

And, if anything, she needed a distraction.

So she began to strip the bed, starting by throwing the pillows to the floor and then she went for the quilt, reaching for the ends to unbutton the cover.

Bickslow first went out to the living area after putting Ingrid down, and frowned when he once again saw that Lucy wasn't out there. If she wasn't there, then she could only be in one of two places: their bedroom or the bathroom. So turning on his heels, he quickly went back down the hall and checked the bedroom first, and when he saw her hovering over the bed, trying her best to undo the buttons on the quilt cover with shaky hands, he rushed over to her side and gently pried the quilt from her hands.

"Stop that," he said.

"But… But the sheets…" she muttered, trying to reach for them again. "They need to be washed and the bed needs to be made again and—"

"Forget about the damn sheets," Bickslow cut Lucy off. When she made a grab for the quilt again, he gently turned her away from the bed and led her to the other side of the room and to the chair in the corner, just in front of the window. "They're not important right now," he said quietly.

Lucy let herself be pulled into his lap when he sat down on the chair, and almost instinctively, she tried her best to curl up where she sat and let her head rest against his shoulder. "They are important," she whispered.

"They're nowhere near as important as you are." And it wasn't hard to see what Lucy was doing. Even Bickslow, an oblivious male most of the time, was able to see that Lucy was trying to ignore her problems, just so she didn't have to deal with whatever it was that was going through her head. She'd been so unusually quiet all morning that it actually scared Bickslow, just because he had no idea what she was thinking or how she was feeling. She was keeping it all bottled up inside of her, and Bickslow didn't want her to do that.

He didn't want her to run away from her problems, either, because they were _their_ problems. He wanted her to tell him how she was feeling and what she was thinking about. She needed to talk about it, and Bickslow wanted to listen.

He wanted to help her, like he always did. He just needed her to talk so they could work through it all together.

So as his arms wound around her just that little bit more and she shifted slightly in his lap, quietly, he asked, "Are you okay?" He knew it was a stupid question, because she quite clearly wasn't. And neither was Bickslow, honestly. Their morning had been rough, traumatic, and quite frankly, frightening. He was still trying to get over it all himself, but he was getting there.

Lucy was still the priority though, and if anything, he needed to know that Lucy was able to understand everything. If he understood everything, then he could understand how she felt, and how to help her.

"I'm… fine," she whispered. And it was the truth… Mostly, anyway. Yes, she was shaken up, worrying more than she'd ever worried in her entire life, and she was incredibly scared, but she was fine. "I'm okay."

"And who else is okay?" And that was the important question, really, because if she could answer that, then Bickslow knew his job would be a lot easier. Except when she remained silent and continued to look down at her hands in her own lap as she wrung them together, Bickslow's brow furrowed slightly with his suddenly growing concern. "Lucy?" he said softly.

Lucy sighed then, and as she closed her eyes with an ever so slight nod of her head, she whispered again, "The baby. The baby is okay."

And that was what was truly important.

When she'd woken up that morning and seen all of the blood, she'd instantly assumed the worst. Losing the baby had become her worst fear, and she'd let it take over all of her thoughts in an instant. But, to be fair, what else was she supposed to have thought when she'd woken up bleeding? That wasn't really supposed to happen when you were pregnant, so she reasoned that her freaking out was justified.

Not that anyone was saying otherwise, of course – least of all, Bickslow. He'd been freaking out just as much as she had when he'd been woken up, because it had become his worst fear, too. He'd just done his best to remain calm, though, because he hadn't wanted to worry Lucy any more than she already was.

But when they'd seen that heartbeat on the monitor, Bickslow had been so relieved that he'd wanted to cry. Lucy, on the other hand… well, she had been relieved, but she hadn't been able to stop worrying. Something was obviously wrong, and nobody had been able to give her a clear answer as to what was going on. That was the case until her obstetrician had arrived, and she'd been the only one who could actually tell her what was going on and the only one who'd been able to somewhat calm her down.

Not even Bickslow had been able to do that, and it was because he'd had no idea how to. He couldn't tell her everything would be fine, because he didn't know if it would be at the time.

Even when Lucy knew exactly what it was, she still hadn't stopped worrying, and there was a part of her that believed she'd never stop worrying. She was convinced she was always going to be worrying about something for as long as she was pregnant.

But she did find a little bit of solace to know she hadn't been losing the baby, and that they really were fine. The heartbeat was strong, and everything else looked fine. You know, apart from what was essentially a clot that had caused her to be bleeding in the first place. The only upside (apart from the baby being fine, of course), was that it was on the smaller side, and that it should hopefully clear itself up in the coming weeks.

Key word: hopefully.

Because there wasn't really anything they could do about it. It was just a matter of waiting and seeing what happened, and until all of the bleeding had stopped and the clot had disappeared and been reabsorbed or something else, she was on bed rest, and that had been a problem as soon as the doctor had said the words.

She was supposed to stay off her feet as much as possible, avoid doing any strenuous work around the house, and no lifting, and that was the biggest problem of all. She had a six-month-old and she wasn't going to be able to care for her. Even though Lucy had only been a parent for an incredibly short amount of time, for the first time, she was beginning to feel like a pretty bad one.

She just couldn't stop worrying though, and it was entirely why she'd needed a distraction. She needed something to occupy her thoughts and take her mind off the fact that she'd been told to just _'wait and see.'_ She couldn't just sit on her ass for the next couple of weeks and wait for her body to decide whether it was going to heal itself or not. No way in hell. She had too many things to do; she already had a baby to look after and a house to run.

She just simply didn't have time to sit and worry all day.

Bickslow, though… He was worrying, of course, because as always, there was still the chance Lucy could end up losing the baby anyway – and that chance was still incredibly small – but he was fine with her having to take it easy. She'd instantly hated the fact she had to do so, and Bickslow knew that. It was why she'd tried to give herself a distraction.

Sure, it wasn't going to be an easy few weeks, but it would work. Lucy would do her best to stay off her feet and take it easy, and Bickslow would look after Ingrid while she couldn't (or just wasn't allowed to, basically). He'd have a few things to sort out at work since he'd be taking time off, but he wasn't mad about any of it. He couldn't complain about it because Lucy was the priority; his family was the priority and they would always be more important than his job.

Besides, when his best friend was his boss, it was bound to make things easier, even when they hadn't been talking for a short while.

But right then, as they sat in that chair in their bedroom, Bickslow knew it wasn't going to be as hard as he'd once thought. Though Lucy would still hate what she'd have to do for the next few weeks, he knew that she would do it. She'd do it for the baby – _their_ baby – because she cared about it as much as he did.

So pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head before he turned his own to rest his cheek against it, he murmured, "You're both okay, and that's what matters."

Lucy let out a shaky breath then and tried to make herself as close as possible to Bickslow. She needed that feeling of being safety, that warmth, and the strange sense of hope that he could give her, just by being close to her. She still needed him to tell her that everything really was going to be okay and that things weren't going to get any worse.

"I'm still scared," she said as barely a whisper.

"I know you are, but… everything is going to be fine, I promise." But if anything, that promise was more for him. Bickslow, too, wanted to believe that everything was still going to be fine. It had to be.

"You can't promise that…"

"I can still try."

Lucy sighed again, and she lifted one hand to light rest on the top of her stomach. "But what if everything isn't okay?" she asked quietly. She needed to know what would happen if she did end up losing the baby, because if that happened, then things really would not be okay.

"Lucy…" he whispered sadly. The usually so chipper and positive woman was anything but her usual self. Always so negative and thinking of the worst, and Bickslow didn't like it. It was a hard time for them – especially for her – but still, the odds were in their favour that nothing bad would happen. The chances of anything terrible arising from the slight complication with the pregnancy were incredibly low, so still, there was an incredibly slim chance of Lucy miscarrying.

But maybe her pessimism and worry was because she just had to wait. Maybe the fact that there was nothing anyone could do to truly easy her worry was why she was thinking that way.

Bickslow really didn't know.

"What then?" Lucy asked again, a little louder. She couldn't bear to think of what she'd do if she ended up losing the baby, and then Bickslow because of all of it. Not now, not ever, even.

Bickslow knew she wasn't going to let up on it, but honestly, he didn't know what was going to happen if that truly unfortunate event did end up occurring. So with his own quiet sigh, he lifted his head slightly and tilted Lucy's up gently with his fingers lightly touching her chin so he could meet her eyes that were filled with worry and sorrow, and quietly, he said, " _If_ that happens, we'll deal with it _then_. We're not going to worry about it now, and why is that?"

"Because the baby is fine," she mumbled, dropping her head to lean on his shoulder again. "Happy and healthy."

"Exactly." The corners of his mouth upturned into a small smile. He was getting through to her… sort of. It was progress. Always progress. "Now," he said as he moved one arm to hook under her legs just behind her knees, and as she looked up again to give him a look of complete confusion, he smiled again. "You need to get some rest."

"But… The sheets…" she mumbled, her arms lacing around the back of Bickslow's neck when he stood from the chair.

"Will you just forget about the sheets already? They're already ruined."

She ducked her head again then as they moved through to the hall slowly. "Sorry…" she mumbled, feeling the guilt slowly creep up within her. It was her blood on those sheets, and as silly as it was, she really did feel the need to apologise for ruining them, and they were just sheets.

But Bickslow was suddenly feeling his own guilt rise within him. He hadn't meant for it to come out like that, so as soon as he realised that his words had probably hurt more than he ever thought they would, he stopped in the middle of the hall, just before Ingrid's door, and looked down to Lucy in his arms. "Don't you dare apologise for that, alright?" he said quietly yet sternly, and when she raised her head slightly to look back up at him, he smiled softly. "I just meant that it's not worth trying to get the blood out now. Sheets can be replaced. You can't."

"Okay…" she sighed as Bickslow began to walk down the hall again and into the living area. "I don't think we have any spare sets in the linen cupboard though."

"Probably not," he agreed. "But I'll sort it all out. Don't worry."

Gently, Bickslow placed Lucy down on the lounge and handed her the cushions that sat in the corner of it, and she almost begrudgingly took them and fluffed them up slightly before leaning down on her side to curl up on the lounge. "I still don't think she meant literal rest…" she mumbled, only tilting her head forward on the pillow to watch Bickslow walk around the sofa and to the kitchen.

"Maybe not," he said with a shrug, pulling a glass from the dishwasher and filling it up with cold water from the fridge. "But still, doctor's orders. Lots of rest."

"You're not my doctor," she muttered.

"No, but I am your—" But he cut himself off mid-sentence as his brow furrowed and he stopped in the middle of the kitchen, staring down at the counter with the glass in his hand. _Your roommate? Sort of, not really just your friend, who just happens to be in love with you? Husband?_

What exactly was he to Lucy? Oh. Right. They hadn't had that conversation yet.

So internally shaking his head to clear his thoughts some, he came out of his half-daze and went back over to the lounge and knelt down in front of Lucy as he placed the glass of water on the small table by the end of it. "I care about you," he said instead. "And I want to make things as easy as possible for you, so if that means you have to take it easy for the next few weeks or whatever, then I'm gonna make sure you do that, okay?"

"You're really not going to let up on this, are you?" she asked, slightly amused.

His face split with a wide grin then as he shook his head. "Not a chance." And he really wasn't going to. As unfortunate the circumstances were, he was looking forward to spending more time at home. He'd get to look after Ingrid, and he'd get to look after Lucy, too.

But of course, he still had to go sort out a few things before he could do that, and that meant going into work and getting a few things… Talking to Laxus… Apologising to Laxus…

"Now, if I go into work to get a few things from my office and let Laxus know I'll be out for a couple of weeks, are you going to be okay here for an hour or two?" he asked.

She nodded then, before pulling her bottom lip into her mouth. "Are you going to tell Laxus what happened…?" She thought it was a fair question, since she wasn't actually ready to tell everyone she was pregnant anyway (and she was glad she hadn't yet, even though it had been planned for that weekend over lunch at Laxus and Mira's place since they had the biggest apartment out of all of them). But now that a (fairly common) complication had arisen, she found she didn't want everyone to know about that either.

But that being said… Bickslow had been having trouble with Laxus because of the time he'd taken off because of her, and he was having to take even more time off. She felt guilty, and even though she didn't want anyone taking time off for her and anyone else finding out about what happened, she knew she didn't have much choice. With that, she realised that it wouldn't be fair for Bickslow to not tell Laxus, because she could tell it was going to cause more problems for him.

Maybe just for once, she was going to have to deal with people going out of their way to look after her (even though it was mostly for Ingrid's benefit), because after all, it was all for the baby.

"I'll tell him as little as possible," he said with a small smile. He knew he was going to have to tell his friends some things, but he also knew it was something that was primarily supposed to be kept between them.

"Alright then," she nodded again. "I'll be okay. I might just sleep for a bit then…" Because god knows she needed that after her stressful morning. It didn't help she was almost constantly tired those days.

Bickslow stood then, and after grabbing the folded up throw blanket from the bottom shelf of the table by the end of the lounge and then delicately draping it over Lucy, he went over to the windows and pulled the black curtains back enough to block out most of the light in the room, only leaving a sliver between the two.

After coming back out into the main room just a few minutes later with Ingrid in one arm, he quickly went about getting anything and everything he'd need to take with him just in case Ingrid decided she needed something else to entertain her, rather than her caring father, even though it would just be a couple of short hours, if that. Most of the things she'd need were in a bag in the car – diapers, spare set of clothes, one of her favourite toys that wasn't the babies… anything and everything, just in case – so all he really had to do was make sure he had something to feed her, and since she wasn't particularly fussy (they thought, anyway), it was going to be incredibly easy.

Oh, the joys of having a not-so-frustrating child. _Here's to hoping the other one is this pleasant…_

"Do we need anything else while I'm out?" he asked, ripping the shopping list that was stuck to the side of the fridge and putting it in his pocket.

Lucy hummed in thought for a moment. "I don't think s—oh… Wait…" She could quite literally feel her face burning when she remembered her little… problem.

She was bleeding, and she was going to be dealing with that for a couple of weeks at least. Well, that's just how she understood it. Of course, it was supposed to get better as the entire thing hopefully sorted itself out, but still… She was going to be bleeding some more.

She'd need some things. Well, more, anyway.

And with Bickslow taking the whole overbearing and paranoid caretaker persona to new levels, she was sure she wasn't going to be able to leave her own home to go and buy her own necessities. As embarrassing as it was to Lucy (and probably Bickslow, for that matter), she needed them, and that just meant asking Bickslow to get them for her.

"I um…" she started, still searching within herself for the courage she so desperately needed. She knew it was something she should have no problem with asking, it was just that she'd never had to have anyone buy her those kinds of things… Especially of the opposite gender. "I need… some things…" she mumbled.

Bickslow rolled his eyes as he shoved his phone and then his wallet into his pockets and picking up his keys. "Like?" he asked, feigning slight boredom as he looked over to the lounge. _Wait, hang on. Is she blushing?_

So with a sigh, Lucy willed herself to just get it out there. There was no point of drawing it out any longer. "I'm kind of… bleeding, remember?" She mentally (and sort of physically) cringed, and when she saw Bickslow stand there, still completely oblivious to what it was she was asking for, she rolled her eyes. "I need you to get me pads, alright?" she said, instantly wishing she could pull the blanket up over her head to hide.

Bickslow just stood there for a few more seconds, blankly staring at the lounge as Ingrid tried to shuffle in his arm.

And then he broke, and his face went an unflattering shade of pink. "Oh… Oh!" He mentally shook his head as he reached for the door just behind him. "Right… Yeah, sure, okay," he mumbled. _Pfft. No problem. I'm a somewhat mature adult. I can totally go and buy her… things. No problem at all…_ "Uh… Anything else?" he mumbled again, pulling the door open.

"Sheets."

* * *

Bickslow moved Ingrid to his other arm as he walked up to Laxus' office. He'd already stopped by his own office and picked up his thing:; his laptop, a few draft policies and things he had to look over to make sure they followed the company's guidelines, and of course, the third draft for the gala that he was still trying to sort of. Then of course, everything else he'd left at work but needed to take home from the previous night before he'd left in a rush to get home to Lucy. They all sat in his usual messenger bag over one shoulder, which he'd also left in his office overnight.

"Is he in a meeting right now?" he asked, stopping in front of Laxus' personal assistant's desk.

The blonde with the tight bun looked up from her computer screen to smile before looking back down to it to pull up Laxus' schedule for the day. After a short moment of reading over what was probably a full schedule, she looked up to Bickslow once again. "He's in with Miss Scarlet at the moment," she said. "Would you like me to call to let him know you're here?"

"Nah, it's fine," he mumbled, already turning and heading for the door just next to him. "They won't mind."

So as he ignored the assistant's protests once again about barging into Laxus' office unannounced, he pushed open the double doors slowly and walked into the spacious office and let the doors swing closed behind him. "Hey," he said with his famous wide grin when both the scarlet haired woman and the blond man looked towards him, both with bemused expressions. Then, as he cleared his throat, lifting up Ingrid just a tiny bit higher on his side, he asked quietly, "Can I talk to you, Laxus?"

Laxus shrugged and turned to look at Erza who sat on one of the two chairs opposite his desk, and with her own quiet sigh she nodded and gathered up her laptop and papers to hold them in her arms as she stood from the chair. "I'll come back later, alright?" she said looking towards Laxus, and when he nodded, she turned and headed towards the door. Then, as she passed Bickslow who was taking a seat on one of the lounges, she said with a smile, "Say hi to Lucy for me."

"Will do," he replied.

Both Bickslow and Laxus sat in silence for a few short moments after Erza left. Laxus sat idly swinging side to side on his chair, and Bickslow gently lowered Ingrid to the floor as he slid down to it as well, resting his back against the sofa.

"I kinda need to apologise…For the last few days…" Bickslow mumbled, finally breaking the silence between the two as he watched Ingrid slowly pushed herself to sit up.

"Not really," Laxus replied as he stood up from his chair. "I shouldn't have pushed it, to be honest."

An eyebrow arched in amusement as Bickslow raised his eyes to see Laxus sit on the lounge just opposite him. "Is that an apology?" he asked, and when the blond man grunted in response, avoiding the blue-and-black haired man's gaze, he chuckled. Laxus never really apologised, and Bickslow knew that. An indirect and discreet one was as best as he could ever manage. "Anyway, I still shouldn't have ignored you like I did. I just wanted to avoid my problems."

It was Laxus' turn to raise his brow. He had to admit, he was still curious about what his friend was calling a problem. "Still avoiding them?" he asked.

"What do _you_ think?" Bickslow muttered.

The blond shrugged. "It's hard to tell with you, sometimes." The once Seith mage had always been a master at hiding his emotions, even with his closest friends. Of course, with the visor he'd always worn, it had been near impossible to tell what was going on with him, and on the odd occasion he did take it off, it was without a doubt a lot easier.

But with the new world and the man's almost entire personality shifting, it was back to being impossible. The lack of visor was irrelevant there, because it was just that no one really knew enough about what went on in Bickslow's new life to know much about what he was thinking or feeling.

Of course, Laxus could still tell there was something that was troubling his best friend, and it wasn't just because the usually stubborn man had come to him to talk (which as it turns out, was something he'd always done when things got too out of hand and he just really needed to talk with someone about things), but his entire demeanour was different.

And hey, if Bickslow wanted to talk about things, Laxus would listen. He'd always listen.

"Yeah, well, honestly? I don't know myself I'm still avoiding them." And it was the truth. The more he thought it all, the more he realised just how many problems he had.

"Do you want to talk about any of those problems or not?" Laxus asked.

Bickslow shrugged. "I don't know. Kinda? I guess so…"

"Well, I'll listen. Which one are we going to start with today?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.

"Shut up," Bickslow mumbled as the corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smirk. But… It was a valid question. Where did he start? Of course, there was a logical answer, and that actually involved answering the question Bickslow had left unanswered on Friday night. So clearing his throat, he shrugged, and quietly, he said, "Well… You were right…"

"About what?"

"Lucy," Bickslow sighed. "You were right about Lucy. What you said last week, I mean."

"Oh?" Even without Bickslow says the exact words, Laxus knew what he meant, and even though he'd already realised it himself, it was still a surprise to hear from Bickslow himself. "So you love her, huh?" he asked quietly.

Bickslow nodded. "Worst part is that I really only just realised it myself last night. Or finally accepted it… I don't even know what it was, to be honest," he mumbled.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Laxus asked, his brow furrowing in his confusion. He wasn't entirely sure what Bickslow was saying.

"I mean, I think that I've been in love with her for a while." There was just no point of avoiding that anymore. "Before everything happened here."

"Shit, really?"

Bickslow rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't say it otherwise."

"Does she know you are?"

"Of course she doesn't," Bickslow shot back then, causing Laxus to raise his eyebrows again from the sudden bitterness in his voice. "And that's kind of one of my other problems."

"How so?" Laxus asked, crossing his leg other his other one instead and glancing down to the blonde infant on the floor just in front of Bickslow who was doing her best to lean forwards and onto her hands.

Bickslow sighed. "It's not entirely one-sided. I mean, it's not like she's in love with me." Though Bickslow could only let his mind wander and almost fantasise about Lucy actually being in love with him, but he knew it was just a fantasy. "But we're close, right? Like, we both want to see if an actual relationship could work. Well, I mean, I think that's what she wants," he mumbled, suddenly wondering if that was what she indeed wanted. It seemed like it. "But it's like every time we've talked about actually discussing it and talking about what it is we really want, something comes along to fuck it up."

Because whether it be him needing to go to work, Lucy being too exhausted and sick to do much talking, or the entire miscarriage scare, each time they'd been close to having that conversation to see what they were going to do, something had gotten in the way and they'd been unable to actually talk about it all. Even though they were both done avoiding it and they were both worried about whether it was a good idea because they didn't want to ruin anything between them, Bickslow couldn't help but wonder if the world was almost trying to tell him not to fuck up what was already so good.

But hey, it was all about taking risks, right? That's what he had to tell himself.

"Really?" Was all Laxus could manage again.

Bickslow's eyes narrowed in annoyance as he lifted up Ingrid to sit her on his lap instead. "I get that you're the listening rather than talking type, but seriously, is ' _really'_ the only word you know or something?" he said harshly.

"No," he scoffed. "I'm just surprised is all."

"How?"

"Blondie. And you. It's weird."

Even though Bickslow should have been feeling slightly insulted over it, he couldn't be. He knew it was weird, because girls like Lucy didn't go for guys like him. But hey, he wasn't complaining. So with a sigh, he shrugged. "Fair point." Bickslow looked down to his wrist to check his watch, and then as he lifted Ingrid into his arms to hold her against his chest in one arm, he pushed himself up from the ground with his other arm and sat on the edge of the lounge instead. "And that brings me to my next problem," he said.

"Just how many problems do you have?" Laxus asked, both slightly bemused _and_ amused.

"Quite a few, it seems," he sighed again. "Anyway, I can't come in for the next couple of weeks. At least."

"What now?" Laxus groaned. "I thought you'd only have to miss a few days every now and then?"

Bickslow shrugged slightly. "Um, yeah… Remember how I said there was always something that came along to fuck things up?" When Laxus nodded, he continued, "Well, something came along, and it means I can't come in for the next couple of weeks."

"You know I'm going to need to know more than that, Bicks."

The blue-and-black haired man sighed then with his own slight nod. "I figured you'd say that." And he did. He'd had an inkling that he wouldn't just be able to get away with saying he couldn't come in, but he still had to say as little as possible. Lucy wanted her privacy so Bickslow would respect that as much as he could. "Look, something happened, and Lucy has to take it easy for the next couple of weeks at least, and it means she can't look after Ingrid by herself."

"Was it uh…" Laxus cleared his throat when Bickslow's eyes flicked elsewhere. "Was it something to do with the baby?" There was a long moment of silence following that, and Laxus had been about to apologise and say it wasn't necessary for him to answer (after all, it was just his curiosity into his friend's life that drove him to ask), but then Bickslow nodded as he looked down to Ingrid who was sitting on his lap again. Laxus suddenly felt concerned for his friend, because he was aware he cared about Lucy a hell of a lot (more than Laxus still expected him to), and the baby, too. Suddenly the way Bickslow was acting made sense; it was his worry for the woman he loved. "Is she okay?" he asked quietly after another long moment.

"Yeah, she's okay," Bickslow said quietly. "So is the baby, if you were curious," he said as he looked back up to Laxus. Suddenly, he felt a little more relieved. He'd already said more than he'd intended because Laxus had always had a knack for asking the right questions, no matter how blunt they may be sometimes, but Bickslow had to admit that talking about everything, even just a little bit, had made him feel just a little bit better about things.

And Laxus felt his own relief wash over him then, and he didn't quite understand it. "Right. I'm glad," he mumbled, shooting up from the lounge to walk back to his desk. "What do you want me to do about work, though? Get someone in while you're out or…?"

Bickslow shook his head as he stood up from the lounge too, lifting Ingrid up just a little bit higher. "Nah, I can do most of it at home. I just won't be able to come in," he said. "I'll be able to get James—"

"James?"

"My new secretary," Bickslow explained. "Just find a way to get everything to go through him and I'll be able to get things done at home."

Laxus nodded as he sat down on his large leather chair and opened up his emails, already working on composing an email to his grandfather and the rest of the board, notifying them that Bickslow wouldn't be attending any meetings of important for a while. If anything, it was to keep Makarov off his back.

Another glance down to his watch then and Bickslow reached to pick up his bag to swing the leather strap over his free shoulder. "Anyway, I've still got a few things to get done before I go back home, so I should get going," he said.

"Yeah, of course," Laxus agreed, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms, leaving his email temporarily.

"Thanks for um… Listening, I guess."

"Don't get all soft on me now. Leave that for Blondie," Laxus chuckled.

Bickslow rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up, Sparky," he joked, walking backwards towards the doors again. As he reached them, he lost his grin and instead looked back at Laxus, and almost desperately, he asked, "Please don't tell anyone why I'm not here. If they ask, though, just say it's some family or personal stuff, alright?"

"I know," Laxus said.

"Good," Bickslow said, a hand reaching out for the door as the corners of his mouth lifted up into a small smile. "Thanks again, Laxus." Because although the man had a gruff and mostly impenetrable exterior, he was actually someone who cared. Sort of. He had a heart somewhere. Hell, he had to, because he had Mira.

But still, Bickslow was glad that he had someone like Laxus to talk to, and he really had had to do that on a few occasions where everything had piled up and he'd needed to get things out before he just… broke.

Of course, if you told anyone outside of the Raijinshuu or Mira that Laxus did in fact have a heart and wasn't as much as a bastard as he made himself appear to be, then there was a possibility that the once Dragon Slayer and lightning mage would shock you into unconsciousness… or death. Or maybe just enough to make you believe he was as uncaring as he wanted to appear.

* * *

 _Why are there so many different fucking types?_ Bickslow thought as he stared at the shelves in front of him that were filled with boxes and packages of all different sizes, all of them used for one specific purpose.

The longer Bickslow stared at the shelves filled with the feminine hygiene products, the more confused he got. He didn't think it should be that hard, and he was suddenly questioning how girls and women and anyone else who would need to buy such things could do so on a monthly basis. That shit was way too frustrating.

There were just so many different types! And brands! And then how many? How many was he supposed to get?

 _Oh god. This is too hard._

He looked down to Ingrid who was sitting in the cart, all strapped in and safe and happy. "You'd help me with this if you could, right?" he mumbled, careful not to draw any more unneeded attention to himself. When the infant just giggled as she usually did whenever someone talked to her, Bickslow sighed. "Of course you wouldn't." He was convinced his daughter enjoyed his misfortune.

So he turned back to the actual problem at hand: just what the fuck did he buy? He'd managed to figure out the rest of the shopping, and considering it was Lucy who usually did the grocery shopping on the weekends while he stayed home with Ingrid, he was quite proud of having deciphered the list, which for the most part, Bickslow was convinced was in a different language. Everything Lucy had written on it was in a shorthand of sorts, and Bickslow had never had a reason to know what they meant.

Until now.

But still, he'd stood in that isle for far too long, and the longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable he got. All he had to do was pick up a box and put it in the damn cart and go about the rest of the shopping.

It was just that he had no fucking idea which one. He was on the verge of calling Lucy just to ask, but… He couldn't do that. He wanted Lucy to think he could manage doing something as simple as buying her things she'd need. You know, because she was a woman, and they bled. On a monthly basis. Bickslow was well aware of that and he was well aware of everything that came with it… including extreme moodiness. He'd lived with Evergreen for a year when he was younger, and honestly, it had been the worst year of his life.

Besides, Bickslow would have to be okay with it all. Not just because he had to be a mature adult about things, but because he had Lucy (who, still, was just Lucy to him. Not his friend, girlfriend, or wife. Just Lucy… for now), a daughter, and it was quite possible he'd have another one. There was a chance he was going to be surrounded by women for the rest of his life.

 _All those hormones_ … he shuddered at the thought. It's not what he'd once thought of first when he thought about being surrounded by women. But hey, things change.

But seriously, he really had stood there for too long. So with a sigh, he searched for the most run-of-the-mill variety he could find within the various different types, brands, and quantities, and grabbed the box and threw it into the cart. "This is fucking ridiculous," he muttered, quickly pushing the cart down the isle.

Way too ridiculous.

* * *

Lucy absent-mindedly sipped at the water as she continued to press the down arrow on the remote and flick through the channels on the T.V. She'd only been able to sleep for a little over an hour, and since she'd woken up in a quiet and dark house, she'd been bored. And, if anything, a little lonely. She was never alone during the day, because Ingrid was always there, whether she was asleep or not.

But Bickslow had taken her with him just because she had to take it easy.

She hadn't liked the darkness, so she'd opened the curtains back up and the room had instantly become warmer as soon as they'd been opened. As it got warmer, she got just that little bit happier.

But now, all she had to do was wait for Bickslow to get back with Ingrid. Not even the noise from the television could make it feel any less quiet, and she didn't like it.

Thankfully, though, by the time she got through an episode of a show she hadn't enjoyed and had gone back to channel surfing some more, Bickslow was finally home, and he walked into the apartment holding Ingrid in one arm and holding all of the bags in the other.

"Did you get some rest?" he asked while kicking the door closed behind him as he dropped all of the bags on the island counter.

"Some," she shrugged, sitting up slightly.

"Good, good…" he mumbled. Once he'd placed all of the shopping bags on the bench, he went around to the table to gently place Ingrid in the high-chair, and once he had her in there, he lifted the leather strap from his messenger bag with his laptop and work things from his shoulder and let it sit on one of the other chairs. "Right, so…" he said, moving back to the counter. "I couldn't decide on a few things."

Lucy arched a brow as she sat up further, crossing her legs under her and moving one of the pillows to sit behind her back. "What exactly did you end up doing?" she asked cautiously.

"Uh, well… I kind of ended up buying silk sheets."

"Silk?" she echoed, her voice hinting at her amusement.

"Yeah, silk," he mumbled. "Also, just normal white ones. Well, I think they're normal ones." There were so many different thread counts and fabrics and colours that he was completely overwhelmed. It didn't help he was indecisive when he got left to his own devices, so of course, he'd just bought the set that seemed as close to normal as far as he could tell. "Also, new quilt cover, because it looked cool," he said, lifting out a turquoise chevron-style quilt cover.

Lucy sighed then. "Of course you did…" she mumbled.

"Yeah, also…" He began to unpack the groceries, quickly going back and forth between the counter, fridge, or a cupboard. "Why the fuck are there so many different types of pads and tampons and shit?"

"Oh god…" Lucy dropped her head to rest in her palms as Bickslow began his apparent rant. She hadn't been expecting that. At all.

"Like, seriously," he continued and kept going about putting everything away. He'd started his rant, and there was no stopping him now. "How bloody hard is it to—oh… probably not the best choice of words, but still, why are there so many?! Why can't there just be one type? For everything. Why can't life be simple?"

"I don't know, and I don't really care," she mumbled, suddenly kicking the blanket back and standing up from the lounge. It just wasn't something she'd had a reason to think about much; she just bought what she needed, when she needed it. There was no need to question everything… like Bickslow was.

Not too much later in the morning, though, once Lucy had found the one item she'd wanted and taken it away from the apparently way too confused male (who had made his confusion related to feminine hygiene products quite clear as he continued to ramble, becoming more and more flushed as he went and found himself unable to stop talking), said male had finished with putting everything away, then stripped the bed and remade it, and then put Ingrid down for a much desired nap, Lucy found herself back on the lounge and aimlessly going through the movie and T.V series catalogue.

And Bickslow sat there staring at the screen with a lack of interest, only occasionally glancing down to the blonde who had her head on a pillow on his lap. He couldn't particularly focus on anything but the conversation they really needed to have. He wanted to know what they could be, and he didn't think he could wait any longer.

He _needed_ to know.

"Lucy," he said softly, and when she hummed quietly as a response, still staring at the screen and searching for something to keep her occupied for a while, he looked back down to her. "What do you want to do?"

She stopped searching then and instead rotated the remote in her hand. She knew that conversation was coming, and she was glad they were finally getting around to it since all they'd been doing was avoiding it, and then things just seemed to get in the way… but she was still nervous. She still felt like she was putting herself on the line and like she was opening herself up to get hurt, but at the same time, she didn't think that would happen.

Surely Bickslow wanted the same thing she did. Right?

She rolled to her back then so she could look up to Bickslow, and with the smallest of shrugs, she quietly said, "I… want to see where we can end up taking things."

He arched a brow. Maybe it was because he honestly had no idea how relationships worked because he had a lack of experience with them, but he still wasn't quite sure what Lucy meant or wanted.

 _Damn, I suck at this._ He really just needed it to be out there, as clear as day, and that meant most likely making a fool of himself. And under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care because it was something he'd done on a near daily basis, but with Lucy, he felt the need to impress her. Constantly.

"So… Like an actual…" He paused to cleared his throat. "Relationship?"

"Yeah," she said as a blush crept up on her cheeks and a smile on her lips. "Unless that's not what you want…"

"Oh, no," he said quickly, internally cursing himself before correcting his words, "I mean, yes, that's what I want too," he spluttered. _Damn it, man! Get yourself together!_ "I just… don't really know anything about… dating… or anything…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he looked up to the ceiling, partly to hide his own flushed cheeks, which annoyingly, had been happened way too often as of late. "Wow, I'm already fucking this up."

Lucy let out a quiet giggle as she sat up, and turning just enough to place her hands on either side of his face to guide it down, she pressed a light kiss to his lips. "You're strangely adorable when you're awkward," she murmured.

"Please don't call me adorable."

A mischievous gleam was set in her eyes then. "If I can't call you adorable, then you can't call me Cosplayer."

"You've been trying to get me to stop calling you that since we met," he said as his lips slowly turned up into a grin.

"I know," she sighed. "And yet you still do it."

"Exactly. I'm just never going to stop calling you Cosplayer."

"Even if I call you adorable?"

He shrugged. "I'll deal with it." He silenced her quiet laugh with a quick kiss – something he was going to enjoy being able to do a lot more, or so he hoped – and then quietly, he asked, "So what exactly does that make us now?" Because really, he still needed some things to be quite clearly spelled out in front of him.

"Don't really know, to be honest," she mumbled, sliding back down the lounge to rest her head on the pillow again and to roll onto her side. She didn't think an actual label would be appropriate, since after all, she didn't know if things were going to work out. Besides, it would just be confusing since they were technically and legally married.

"How about _'partner in crime?_ '" he mused.

She rolled her eyes as she began to scroll through the movie catalogue again. "You're a dork," she mumbled.

"Yeah, but you just happen to really like this dork."


	24. Chapter 24

It had been a week since Lucy and Bickslow had gone to the hospital in the very early hours of the morning with both of their first thoughts that she'd been miscarrying. It had been a week of sitting at home, either on the lounge or in bed for most of the day, completely bored out of her mind, and it had been a week since Lucy and Bickslow had talked about what they wanted from each other.

So far, things had gone pretty well. It had been a little awkward for a couple of days after they'd had that little talk, because neither really knew how to act around each other then. But, as it turns out, they didn't need to change anything, really. They'd essentially already been acting like a couple even when they hadn't been, so once they'd realised that and got themselves into a usual sort of routine (as usual as it was going to be considering Lucy was basically on house arrest), it was easy to act as an actual couple.

Well, it was as easy as it was going to get. Of course, it was still all new to the pair since if anything, it was their first real relationship, of sorts. Lucy had only really gone on a few dates in her life, but none had ended up being ones she'd particularly enjoyed, so she'd never been able to come close to getting anything more, and Bickslow had just had a lack of interest in the entire thing and only gone along with Mira's incessant need to pair him up with someone to get her off his back. Both were still trying to figure out how to go about being an actual couple. Sort of.

But still, so far, it had been going pretty well.

Like lots of things had, too. Though Lucy didn't have another ultrasound or visit to her obstetrician scheduled for another two weeks, she was getting more optimistic about the outcome with each day. She'd called her doctor just to update her on how things were going with her apparent condition and slight complication with the pregnancy (as per her doctor's orders, because even though the woman didn't see a reason to have Lucy come in since she didn't suspect it to be a high risk case, she still wanted to be updated on the progress of her healing), and as things improved as Lucy had been told they would, she began to worry less.

The bleeding had improved and was lessening, and she was confident that everything really was going to be fine.

She still had to take it one day at a time.

But still, until everything was definitely cleared up and everything looked normal once again, she was stuck on bed rest. Or, house arrest, as she had begun to call it.

She was bored out of her mind. She'd already gone through six seasons of one show and thus finished the entire thing, and now, she was halfway through the first season of another. She knew that Bickslow meant well by making sure she really did take things easy (incredibly easy), but the guy was making her life a living hell, and if she wasn't quite possibly in love with him (or falling, at least), she would be incredibly irritated.

But she had to remind herself that it was all for the baby. Everything she was doing and he was doing was for the baby, so as long as he or she was healthy and happy, Lucy would put up with boredom.

She just hoped she wasn't confined to bed rest for as long as some of the mothers to-be who had gone through the same thing she was going through. She didn't think she'd survive being stuck in bed for the next month or more.

So as she sat down on the lounge, tucking her slightly damp hair from her shower behind her ears as she did so, she looked towards Bickslow who sat in the corner of it, with his legs crossed under him and staring intently at the laptop that sat on his lap.

"What are you working on?" she asked, reaching for the remote on the coffee table before curling up on the lounge under the thin blanket with her head propped up on a couple of cushions.

"Um… Nothing really," he mumbled as he continued to scroll through the email he was reading. "I just… have a bit of a problem now." Well, a bit of a problem was putting it lightly. It was a huge problem, but that was just what he thought.

Lucy pressed the play button for the next episode, and as the extraordinarily long intro started, she sat up and shuffled down the sofa to instead sit next to Bickslow, tucking her feet under her. "What's that then?" Lucy asked quietly as she looked down to the screen and tried to decipher all of the words on the screen. Something about a conference or a meeting. That's all she got from it.

"I might have to go to Crocus for a few days for some sort of conference or something. Entire board thing, I guess," he mumbled again and sighed. "The problem is that I'd have to leave not the Sunday coming, but the one after."

"But that's before I'm possibly off house arrest, isn't it?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's not _house arrest_ ," he argued. "But yeah, it is before then. The entire thing is supposed to run from the Monday until the…" He paused to scroll down and find the dates of the conference he was supposed to be attending. "Wednesday afternoon."

"Well, it's still a week and a half until then, and Dr. Delia thinks it could have cleared up by the next ultrasound…" Lucy moved closer to Bickslow on the sofa then, and gently laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes still watching Bickslow as he continued to frown at the screen. "So maybe I'll be better by the time you'd have to leave?" she said quietly.

"I'd be on the other side of the country for when it's scheduled," Bickslow said with a frown, finally turning his head to look at the blonde who was looking back up at him with hope in her eyes. It was a nice change, honestly. Each day she was getting happier and she worried just a little bit less with each one. He liked that things were getting better, truly.

"I'm sure I'll survive on my own."

"I still don't want to leave or actually go back to work until we know everything is actually fine."

"I know you don't," Lucy said quietly with a soft smile. Then, as she craned her neck just that little bit more, she pressed a light kiss to his cheek and whispered, "But I'm just saying, if it continues to get better, then I should be okay on my own for a few days. I could probably get Claire, or maybe even Mira, if I told her, to help out during the day. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

Bickslow sighed as he closed the laptop. "Maybe," he mumbled. "We'll just see how things go in the next week, and I'll talk with Laxus in the morning to see how necessary it is I go."

Lucy shuffled down the lounge again when he reached forward to place the laptop on the coffee table and unfolded his legs from under him, placing his feet flat on the dark blue rug beneath the lounge. Lying back down and adjusting the pillows under her head, Lucy reached for the remote again as the intro finished up and turned the volume up on the T.V.

"Well, I'm gonna go take a shower," Bickslow said as he pushed himself up from the lounge and looked towards the screen. "Don't watch the next episode without me."

Lucy groaned and pressed the pause button on the remote, freezing the video on the title screen at the very end of the intro. "Oh, come on!" she complained. "You take forever in there."

"I do not," he scoffed.

"You do," she insisted. When Bickslow walked around the lounge and headed for the hall, she sat up slightly and leant her back against the armrest, keeping the pillows behind her and bringing her knees up slightly while picking up her phone from where it sat on the table. With a sigh, she opened up one of the various games on her phone that she'd found herself getting addicted to way too quickly, and muttered, "Just hurry up."

Bickslow laughed as he already began to reach for the hem of his shirt while walking towards the bathroom. "I'll try," he called out to the living room behind him.

It wasn't like Lucy was technically wrong, either, because he really did spend forever in the shower. It was something he'd always done, but as of late, he just spent more and more time in there.

It was almost the one time of the day where it was quiet; he was alone and he was alone with his thoughts. And it wasn't like he wished he was always alone and that everything was quiet, because he didn't. His life wasn't particularly stressful, but it had been, at times. It had calmed down again and it was back to being easy and they were working on getting into a new routine for while Bickslow was home and not at work.

But even though it was getting easy again – and still getting easier with each day – he still needed his time alone with his thoughts, because he just had way too many things to think about. Lucy may have had her worry lessening with each day, but Bickslow's wasn't. Bickslow was constantly worrying about everything those days, because he so desperately wanted everything to be fine with Lucy and the baby.

He knew that it was getting better on its own like it was supposed to, but still, he really hoped that it wouldn't get any worse. Don't get Bickslow wrong – he was incredibly glad that Lucy wasn't anywhere near as panicky about the entire situation as she had been a week ago or even before that, but it was just that Bickslow didn't know if he'd be able to keep his sanity if Lucy's house arrest (as she had so eloquently put it) ending up being something that wasn't so temporary.

His fear over that happening wasn't so much because he didn't want to be at home, because that wasn't the case at all. He really didn't mind having to stay at home to help with Ingrid (because after all, she was his daughter) and to make sure that Lucy took things easy. His fear was over what could possibly happen to Lucy if she ended up being forced to rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

What happened then if that ended up being the case?

Would she get even more antsy and stressed than she already was? Would she regret wanting to keep the baby because of the stress it was putting her under? Would she begin to loathe Bickslow for making sure she took things easy?

That's what he worried about, and as he stood there under the stream of the shower, the hot water running down his back and the tiny rivulets from his soaked hair over his face, that's all he could think about.

His entire world was centred on Lucy and his family, and already, he was at a point where he would do anything to make sure they were happy and safe and had everything they'd ever need, and it was because it was his family. Bickslow didn't want a world where his family was unhappy, because when they were happy, he was happy.

But what if Bickslow did end up having to go to Crocus, and it wasn't something he could get out of? What if something happened to Lucy while he was gone… Or what if something happened to the baby, or even Ingrid? What if something terrible happened and Bickslow wasn't there for Lucy? What if she needed him while he was on the opposite site of the country, and she felt alone while whatever it is that could possibly happen, happened?

What if what they had between them got ruined by him being gone for a few days?

There were just so many scenarios and possibilities that ran through his head when he was left alone with his thoughts, and it wasn't something he necessarily enjoyed. He didn't enjoy panicking about everything, and he sure as hell didn't enjoy almost constantly worrying about Lucy. But, then again, he'd always worried about her, just a little bit. It was just that with everything that had happened, he had so many more reasons to actually worry.

But still, he had to always remind himself that he couldn't let Lucy see just how much he worried, and if anything, just how much he cared about her. Just like their label-less relationship, they were taking everything slowly and just one day at a time. There was no point of rushing things or jumping to conclusions about anything regarding the baby or Lucy's health, because after all, things could end up being perfectly fine and the rest of the pregnancy could be smooth sailing.

Or things could get much, much worse.

 _One day at a time… Just… One. Day. At. A. Time._

With a sigh, Bickslow reached out for the taps on the black tiled wall of the shower and turned them both until it was just the water from his hair that ran down his face and from his body. As he slid the glass door open and stepped out of the shower, he lifted a hand to push the wet hair out of his eyes and then grabbed the towel that hung over the railing on the shower door. His hair had grown out considerably in the time he'd been in that world, and it was nowhere near as tame and short as it had been a month and a half earlier, and if anything, it was even longer than he'd usually had it. Even though he'd kept it in his usual style with the shaved sides, it was beginning to get inconvenient to keep it maintained (and yes, he'd always been someone to maintain his precious hair).

As he stared at his reflection in the mirror with his wet hair pushed back, he couldn't help but wonder if it was time to just… let it grow out completely. He was twenty-seven, and he was a dad. What kind of dad has a mohawk?

 _This one does, obviously._

Whatever. It was a haircut. It didn't particularly matter. He had more important things to worry about, like his family, for example, rather than whether or not it was time to lose the mohawk.

So after towelling off his hair lightly, just to get rid of most of the excess water, he went into the bedroom to change, and it was only after going through nearly every drawer he could think of to find his beloved three-quarter sleeved baseball tee did he realise that most of his clothes were still either sitting somewhere in the laundry or in the dryer.

Quickly, then, he pulled on a pair of grey track pants with cuffs at the bottom and made his way into the hall, throwing the towel back into the bathroom as he went.

It was when Bickslow was coming out of the laundry, pulling the shirt on over his head as he slowly crossed the room to go back to the lounge did Lucy make any noise, and it wasn't her complaining about him being in the shower forever again. No, it was a giggle. So as he finally got it over his head and he ran a hand through his wet hair again, he arched a brow in curiosity.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked, sitting down on the lounge once again.

Lucy shook her head as a faint blush crept up on her cheeks. "It's completely ridiculous," she said as she slid down the lounge and laid on her side with her knees brought up slightly, curling up under the thin blanket again as she propped her head up with her hand.

"I like ridiculous," he shrugged. When Lucy just shook her head again and pressed play on the remote to finally start the episode she'd wanted to watch for the last half an hour, a wide grin slowly split his face before he quickly moved from where he sat in the corner and shifted to be hovering over her, his arms on either side to hold himself up and keep his weight off of her. "Come on," he murmured, prying the remote from her hands to pause it again before dropping it gently to the floor. "Tell me."

Lucy was still blushing as she was all but forced to roll onto her back beneath Bickslow. She was entirely convinced it was ridiculous, and she was entirely convinced she'd gone insane. Her mind had been thinking of some… odd things, as of late. Of course, it was one of these odd things that had made her giggle in the first place, and she reasoned it didn't quite help she was spending every second of every day with someone who was, for the most part, absolutely insane.

She had already begun to lose her sanity by spending all day inside, and she could only expect to be waving it goodbye completely in the coming months, and if she ended up being stuck on bed rest and the rules she was supposed to be following became stricter, then she'd be losing all that much sooner.

"Was it about me?" Bickslow asked as he sat up slightly, keeping her pinned beneath him as he knelt over her hips with his arms folded over his chest. When she just shrugged, Bickslow took her silence and the feigned innocent smile on her lips as a yes and his grin grew wider. "Well, if it's about me, now I really want to know what it is…"

"It's really silly…" she mumbled. She was pretty sure Bickslow was going to laugh at her if she knew what she'd laughed about, and he was probably going to give her hell for it.

"I _love_ silly."

"You'll laugh at me."

Bickslow shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed. "But you know I'll get it out of you either way…" His grin turned wicked as he unfolded his arms and slowly lowered them to her waist, letting his fingers gently trail over her sides through the thin fabric of her shirt.

Her eyes went wide as she refrained from squirming. "You wouldn't," she dared. Bickslow knew exactly how ticklish she was, and he knew that it would quickly get to the point where she'd tell him just what it was that had made her laugh just to get him to stop.

It was a low blow, that was for sure.

"Oh, but I would."

Lucy continued to stare up for just a few more seconds, only blinking. She'd been about to plead for Bickslow not to do it, but then he dug his fingers into her sides just that little bit more and she instinctively tried to get away from it, already arching her back slightly as she began to laugh just a little bit. "N-No, don't… Don't do that," she squealed around the laughter that just grew louder as he continued his assault.

"Then tell me what it was," he chuckled. Bickslow had to admit that he enjoyed tickling her way too much, just because he loved hearing her laugh.

"Okay, okay!" she huffed. When Bickslow finally stopped, an eyebrow quirked as he looked down at her expectantly, she felt the heat return on her face. Oh, she was never going to hear the end of this. With a sigh, she began to lace her fingers together as her eyes flicked elsewhere to avoid meeting Bickslow's gaze, and then mumbled, "I was thinking about how I was kind of lucky to have a… Um… _Partner in crime_ … Who just happens to have a… Uh… You know… Nice… Body…"

But oh, those muscles… Who would have thought he'd actually had anything under all of that heavy clothing he'd usually worn? Plus, she was pretty sure she could cut herself on those hip bones… And those collarbones, too. Is it weird to love someone's collarbones?

Probably.

She was actually going insane.

"Oh?"

Lucy just wanted to hide until morning. It was bad enough she'd all but had no choice to say why she'd been laughing (sort of say it, anyway), but the way Bickslow was looking at her with that wide grin and playful gleam in his eyes, it was just making her feel even more ridiculous that she already did.

"I mean…" she mumbled again, still trying her best to avoid looking at Bickslow even though he was leaning forward slowly again. "You're pretty hot. For a dad." _Yup, now you've done it. Thank you, brain, for not letting me keep my mouth shut. Thank you,_ she internally cursed herself.

Bickslow was enjoying it way too much, and he could definitely see how it was ridiculous. But still, he really did like ridiculous. He was a ridiculous person.

"Well," he leant down just that little bit more while moving his hands to rest on the lounge on either side of her head to hold himself up and keep his weight entirely off of her still. Then, as she continued to avoid looking at him and turned her head to the side slightly, he murmured, "I'd say you're pretty lucky, because I'm all yours, baby."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Gajeel," Bickslow said with a shrug as he turned a page in the bundle of papers on the table then returned his focus to the laptop screen in front of him. "Levy's gonna know you're here."

"Only if _someone_ tells her," the other man grumbled, his eyes narrowed as he shot a glare towards the blonde who sat on the floor just in front of the lounge.

"Hey, I'm not going to tell her," Lucy defended herself as she looked over her shoulder to the dining table. She shrugged as the corner of her mouth pulled up into a small smirk as she turned back to face Ingrid, pulling her favourite toy of the day just a little bit more towards herself. "Besides, I figured she deserved a break from you for a bit."

Bickslow snickered as he continued to occasionally glance between the laptop screen and the papers to his right, reading one line and then typing something out, over and over. It was a Saturday afternoon, yet he was still working, and it was only because he didn't really get much done during the week. Between spending most of his time on the lounge with Lucy as they went through way too many episodes of way too many T.V shows per day, and looking after Ingrid and then everything else Lucy usually did when he went to work, Bickslow just didn't have enough time to do his job.

Of course, it didn't help that he just had a lack of motivation to do anything that was really productive when he had the option to be cuddled up with his family most of the day.

As Gajeel just continued to scowl and rest his chin on his folded arms as he sat opposite Bickslow at the table, Lucy slid back to have her back resting on the sofa and continued to watch Ingrid. Every now and then the infant would manage to drag herself forwards just a little bit, whether it be to try and reach for a toy or to get closer to either Lucy or Bickslow. It wasn't very often, but still, it was fun to watch.

So when Ingrid attempted to do just that, Lucy involuntarily let out half a sob of happiness. Bickslow ignored it, because she'd been doing weirder and weirder things as the days went by. Lucy had put it down to her emotions being a jumbled mess because of her hormones, so really, Bickslow just figured it was best to just let her be. He didn't want to do or say anything to irritate her or make her cry or anything, especially when he'd already done that once by accident; he'd learnt not to mess with a pregnant woman the hard way.

Gajeel, on the other hand… Well, he was confused, so sitting back up again, he looked towards the blonde who was now reaching for the smaller blonde from where she sat against the lounge. "What the hell was that?" he mumbled.

"Just leave it," Bickslow answered instead, shaking his head lightly without looking up from his work.

But Lucy was ignoring it anyway, instead too busy holding up Ingrid under her arms and gently letting her kick off her legs. "You're just too precious!" she exclaimed, an almost sad smile on her face as she looked to the smiling face of her daughter.

And really, Ingrid was precious. She was adorable and tiny and perfect… And Lucy wanted her to stay little forever. Even though it had only been a little under two months, she was completely and totally attached, and she just really didn't want Ingrid to grow up.

Ever.

But when Lucy continued to ramble on to Ingrid about how precious and perfect she was, Bickslow suddenly looked up when she choked on another sob. "Oh no," he mumbled. He knew what was coming, and even though he hadn't figured out how to expect it (he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to), he knew the signs. That much he'd figured out already.

"What?" Gajeel asked, looking back to Bickslow as his confusion about the entire situation continued to grow even more.

Bickslow got up from his chair then and rushed over to the lounge to stand in front of Lucy, and he inwardly groaned when he saw her eyes already filling with tears as she continued to smile (now sadly) at Ingrid. Leaning down, he gently took Ingrid from her hands and he had to force himself not to visibly cringe when Lucy began to pout. Yeah, it was definitely going to happen. No stopping it now.

"I think it's time for a nap," he said hurriedly as he pulled the infant against his chest and walked back around the lounge again to make his way down the hall. "Don't you agree, Ingrid?" he asked while looking down to her in his arms.

Well, it was close to what time she usually had a nap, but Bickslow just really needed to separate Lucy and Ingrid temporarily. At least until Lucy had calmed down, anyway. Just the last week alone had been almost hell for him as he tried to navigate the vast sea of emotions. It wasn't so much mood swings with Lucy (and yeah, his research had told him to prepare for that), it was more suddenly breaking down into tears over the silliest things at the drop of a hat.

Just that morning she'd cried over strawberries. Fucking _strawberries_. Bickslow had been eating them with his pancakes (Saturday had become pancake day, apparently) and occasionally feeding small pieces to Ingrid, and Lucy had all but run out of the room crying, leaving her own pancakes on the table. Of course, Bickslow had been totally lost like he had been every other time she'd walked out in tears, but when he went to go console her, he couldn't help but laugh. It was cruel, honestly, because Lucy couldn't eat strawberries anymore because they made her sick apparently. Hell, the smell of them was enough to get her out of the room, but it gave Bickslow the answer as to why there were always strawberries left in the fridge as of late. Usually they didn't last very long between the two having an almost unnatural love for the red fruit.

She was essentially just jealous that she couldn't eat her favourite food in the entire world anymore, yet she had to watch Bickslow and Ingrid enjoy them to their heart's content. And, of course, Bickslow being willing to do anything to make Lucy happy and make his own life easier for the next seven months, had made the heroic sacrifice and deemed their house strawberry-free until Lucy could quite literally stomach to eat them again.

Bickslow just hoped it was all just because of the pregnancy and that she'd be able to eat them – or even go near them – again.

So as he sat down on the floor next to the blonde as she wiped the tears from under her eyes, he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, letting her once again bury her head against his chest as he held the back of her head, gently stroking through the blonde hair. "Alright, what is it this time?" he sighed, shaking his head once again when Gajeel just stared at him, his face a mask of confusion.

"Ingrid isn't g-going to stay little forever," she choked out, her words mumbled and slurred. "She's g-going to grow u-up… and oh god, so is t-the b-baby."

Bickslow rolled his eyes as he held the crying blonde. Granted, it wasn't as silly as half the things she'd cried over in the last week and a bit, but it was still a little silly. In his opinion, anyway. "Come on, it's gonna happen eventually, but not for ages. You know that," he tried to say reassuringly. He probably could have said it wasn't going to happen at all – that their kids wouldn't grow up – but it was a blatant lie.

"B-But… they're g-going t-to grow u-up, a-and they're g-going t-to forget about u-us… and they're g-going t-to have t-their own tiny p-precious children… a-and…" she began to wail even louder then as she trailed off, her only solace right then that Bickslow was in fact right that it wasn't going to happen for a while. Ingrid was still going to be her precious little ball of adorableness for at least a few more years, and then the baby was going to be in the same boat.

Even though she didn't really have to worry about her dear babies growing up too much in the near future (even though she was in a near hysterical state), she knew it was going to happen one day. One day, her dear children were going to be old enough where they didn't need to rely on herself or Bickslow and they were going to be independent and then they were going to leave and have their own lives…

And they wouldn't be tiny.

 _Why couldn't they stay tiny and adorable forever?!_

Sure, they were always going to be her babies, even when they were at the age where all they wanted to do was be out with friends and ignore their parents, but still, they just wouldn't be tiny.

So as she continued to bawl her eyes out over her six-month old daughter and not-even-born-yet baby growing up and having their own lives, Bickslow still tried his best to calm her down. Mostly telling her that she wasn't crazy, of course. He'd learnt that that wasn't the best thing to say, either. Instead, he just tried to remind her that neither Ingrid nor the baby were going to be growing up any time soon and leaving them and forgetting about them.

It didn't help that he didn't want to think about his favourite tiny human (humans, really) having her own tiny human one day. Nope, not at all.

But thankfully, calming Lucy down when she had her small bouts of crying or freaking out about something silly was incredibly easy. In all the times it had happened since he'd been home from work, all he'd really had to do was hold her and remain silent until she calmed herself down. That, or just agree with her, or say something she wanted to hear. He didn't care much what he had to do, really, as long as it got her to stop crying, especially after that one time he'd left her to cry and then Ingrid had started crying. That had been a nightmare, but it had ended in the sweetest of family hugs just so he could try and calm them both down at the same time.

So like always, all he had to do then was occasionally mumble something about how Ingrid would never forget her mother, how she was always going to be Lucy's baby no matter how old she was, and of course, how there was no way in hell she was going to be having her own tiny precious child for at least the next eighteen years. No, make that _thirty_ years. So eventually, she did manage to calm down some until it was just the occasional whimper or sniffle while stuttering over Ingrid being too precious.

Gajeel, of course, had just given up on trying to figure out just what the hell was going on, and instead decided to just read whatever it was that Bickslow had been working on, while of course, compulsively checking his phone for messages from Levy every five seconds. When he'd left, the twins had just fallen asleep again after a feed, so he figured he still had another half an hour at least before he had to go back home. Honestly, he really just needed some time with someone who wasn't three weeks old… or Levy. Sure, he cared about the woman – a lot – but when he's running on almost zero sleep (granted, just like Levy), he doesn't exactly deal well with the constant nagging about him being careful.

And sure, he might have accidentally dropped his daughter – Ellis – a few days earlier, but in his defence, the newborn had rolled off of him from where he'd been lying on the lounge. Besides, she was fine. The woman needed to lay off him, because it wasn't like she was perfect either, considering she'd also managed to drop their son – Emery – within hours of yelling at Gajeel for the same thing.

He'd honestly felt a little too conceited in that moment. Just a little bit.

"I'm going to be sick," Lucy mumbled suddenly as she lifted her head slightly, and instantly, Bickslow unwound his arms from around the blonde and let her sit up slightly to quickly scramble up from the floor.

Although her 'morning' sickness wasn't (for the most part) terrible, it was still annoying, and occasionally she'd find herself actually needing to throw up. Granted, she still had a few days where she'd just want to curl up in a ball on the bathroom floor, but there still had yet to be a day where she didn't feel just a little bit nauseous at all. In the few short weeks she'd known, Lucy had learnt to just live with what she was calling the _'worst fucking part of being pregnant'_ and all she could do was hope it went away soon.

If she ended up being one of those women who end up feeling nauseous for the entire thing or at least most of it, then she was not going to be happy at all.

* * *

With a groan, Gajeel got up from the table and headed for the door. It was probably time to go back to his own apartment and look after his evil spawn. After all, he'd been there for much longer than he'd originally planned…

"Finally leaving?" Bickslow asked with a smirk as he looked over his shoulder from where he sat in the corner of the lounge, Ingrid leaning against his arm in his lap and holding her bottle up.

"Unfortunately," the other man sighed. "Shrimp might eat me alive if I leave her alone with them for too long."

Lucy looked up from where she sat at the counter with a book then. "I'm sure Levy won't be that mad," she said.

"Trust me, Bunny, she will," Gajeel insisted before he finally reached the door. As Lucy shrugged and went back to her book, Bickslow went back to watching whatever it is he was watching while holding Ingrid. "Good luck with… whatever you two are doing," he muttered then. "Shrimp's gonna have a fuckin' field day once she knows."

Bickslow chuckled as he shook his head. It was his turn to believe Levy wouldn't freak out. "I doubt she will," he said.

"She will," both Lucy and Gajeel said, and Bickslow could only try and sink back into the lounge as the two stared back at him – Gajeel with a scowl and Lucy with a slight smile. _Was Levy really going to freak out? Surely not,_ he thought.

Right?

Oh, whatever. Bickslow didn't care if anyone freaked out about him and Lucy, because frankly, it was something to freak out over. Even Bickslow was still finding it hard to believe that Lucy actually liked him and wanted to be with him, just because it was Lucy. Girls like Lucy didn't go for guys like him, but hey, he may be confused as all hell, but he was still enjoying it.

Everyone could freak out all they wanted. As long as they didn't fuck with his relationship with her, he just didn't care what everyone else did.

"Anyway," Gajeel sighed again as he finally reached out for the handle and gently began to turn it. "See you guys la—" but then he froze mid-sentence as he pulled the door open and found himself staring in confusion and shock at Erza (whose hand was raised and had apparently been about to knock on the door), Gray, and Natsu.

Erza blinked as she lowered her hand to her side. "Gajeel?"

"I thought this was Lucy's apartment?" Natsu asked as he stuck his head around the scarlet-haired woman, looking curiously into the apartment.

"It is…" Lucy replied cautiously as she slowly moved from where she sat at the counter. Her arms were folded as she stood in front of the door and watched her friends all but barge into her apartment (Natsu taking the lead with Happy once again sitting on top of his head). Gajeel could only stand by the open door and watch the entire thing with curiosity, having quickly forgotten about leaving, apparently. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"We thought it would be nice to hang out for a while tonight since we haven't had much of a chance to do so in the last few weeks," Erza said.

Granted, Erza was right. Lucy had barely even talked to her friends since everything had happened – with the other Bickslow cheating and Lucy getting hurt by it, and then finding out she was pregnant, and then not to mention the entire thing where she was trying to figure out her own feelings for Bickslow. But all of those had been sorted out; she wasn't hurting because of the other Bickslow, she was excited (yet still worried) about the baby, and she was damn happy with how things were going with Bickslow.

But even though her life was coming up again, she still hadn't made time for three of her best friends, and honestly, it was because she'd been happy not seeing them. She'd been happy just spending her time with Bickslow and Ingrid because that's what she'd needed to be happy again, and she was happy then.

That, and she just hadn't told any of them about the baby. She wanted to wait until she knew everything was fine and she was off house arrest, and hopefully, that would be in just a week and a half. She figured that by then she'd definitely be showing more anyway, so really, she was running out of time to do so.

But before Lucy could even say sorry for not seeing her friends as of late or come up with an excuse to not hang out that night, Natsu decided to speak and cut her off before she got a single word out.

"Yeah, Luce!" Natsu said with his wide toothy grin. "You've been doing nothing for so long that not even Happy would be able to carry you if he could still fly!"

As Happy agreed with a meow, everyone in the room turned to look to the pink-haired idiot with the blue cat on top of his head. Gajeel kind of wanted to slip out of the room because even he knew not to insult someone on their weight – especially when they were pregnant – but he was way too intrigued with what was going to happen next. Gray could only stare in shock from where he stood by the lounge, previously having been smiling down at Ingrid, and the same was for Erza.

Bickslow, on the other hand… Well, he rarely wanted to punch people in the face, but right then, that's all he wanted to do to Natsu.

Lucy was feeling both shocked and hurt in that moment. Until then, she hadn't thought about what she was wearing because when she was home she never cared, and it didn't bother her that Gajeel was there because he'd been one of the first people to find out. But suddenly, as she stood there with her mouth hanging slightly open as she struggled to find something to say, she was feeling all the more self-conscious about the fact that in her striped t-shirt that all but clung to her and her plain black three-quarter leggings, you could most definitely tell she was getting bigger.

But still, on what she was deeming eight weeks and six days, she wasn't showing enough that people would be able to tell that she was just pregnant, but she was just that little bit rounder.

No matter how much Bickslow loved her ever-growing bump, and no matter how much she began to like it and not just think she was fat or anything, Natsu's words still hurt like hell.

And she knew that he probably didn't mean to upset her, but he had, and when Lucy felt tears once again prick her eyes (it was definitely a crying sort of day), she realised she didn't have any words. She just didn't know what to say to that, because if anything, she was biting her tongue and trying so hard not to blurt out that she was pregnant.

So instead, as she unfolded her arms and balled her fists up at her sides, she stared back at Natsu much like everyone still was, and shrieked, "Natsu!" Before anyone could say anything, she turned on her heels and stormed down the hall and to the bedroom.

"What?" Natsu asked, looking between everyone else in the room as they all glared back at him or in the space where Lucy had just stood. "What did I say?"

When the bedroom door slammed close, Bickslow suddenly stood and handed Ingrid to the closest person, who just happened to be Gray. "Hold her," he mumbled as Gray quickly took hold of the infant, shooting a look of confusion at Bickslow as he climbed over the back of the lounge to go down the hall after Lucy.

Honestly, in that moment, he'd had to remind himself that Lucy was more important that hurting Natsu, as tempting as it was. He could punch Natsu later.

So when he got down to the bedroom and closed the door gently behind him, he couldn't help but smile slightly at what was essentially a lump under the covers. Silently, though, he made his way around to the side of the bed and instead of pulling the heavy quilt back, he instead lifted it just enough to climb under it before pulling it over his head, and he joined the crying blonde in the darkness.

She was curled up in a ball and clinging to the pillow she had her head on, and when Bickslow softly said her name, she let out another strangled sob and rolled onto her other side, leaving her back facing him. "Just l-leave me a-alone," she mumbled, trying to bury her face into the pillow even more.

But Bickslow wasn't going to leave her alone, because he felt as if that wasn't what she really wanted. He hated seeing her cry, and if anything, seeing her upset was one of the things he hated most in the entire world. Leaving her to cry when he had no idea what it was that had caused it was one thing, because more often than not it was just something random and weird, but when he knew exactly what it was that had made her upset, he couldn't just ignore it, especially when it was over something he'd been trying to make her feel better about as it was.

"I can't do that," he said softly as he shifted forwards and propped himself up on his elbow and gently draped an arm over her side.

Her small frame shook lightly as she cried, but when Bickslow ever so lightly pulled her closer to him she didn't stop him or insist that she just wanted to be left alone. Instead, she just let his larger frame almost wrap around her as she tried to curl in on herself even more, and then gently placed one of her hands over Bickslow's that had come to lightly rest on her abdomen.

"You know he didn't mean it," he said softly again.

"I-I know…" she whispered, rolling onto her back then, leaving her one hand over Bickslow's and her other over her eyes. Even though it was near pitch black under the blanket and Bickslow had seen her cry more times than she could count (just that day alone, even), she still hated that she felt and probably looked like absolute shit, and it was in front of Bickslow of all people. If anything, she just wanted one day where she didn't cry, she didn't feel like throwing up every five minutes, and she didn't need Bickslow to comfort her.

Just one fucking day.

"I know h-he didn't m-mean it," she stuttered again. "A-And I mean, I-I'm used t-to H-Happy joking a-about it… b-but it h-hurt more t-this t-time."

"Well, the joke's on them anyway," he said, resting his head in his palm.

Lucy lifted her hand from her face then to look through watery eyes. "H-How?" she asked quietly, her brow slightly furrowed as she stared at Bickslow in confusion in the darkness.

"Because I wouldn't let Happy carry you, even if he could," Bickslow said, a lazy grin making a home on his face. "No way in hell I'd trust a cat—"

"Exceed, technically."

"—to carry you while you're knocked up. The babies, on the other hand… Well, those would be fine, because I'd be carrying you, and I feel like a person is a lot safer than a cat."

Lucy couldn't help but let out a watery laugh then as she brushed under her eyes. His protective nature had emerged once again, and as annoying as it was, she did kind of like it. Though, she did have to admit it was a little odd that Bickslow was almost hinting at them having a relationship in their old world, and, dare she think it, an actual family. Well, on the way, at least.

But it wasn't like it was all that weird, because that's what they were in the current world – their home. They had a relationship – granted, it was in the early stages still – and they had a baby, and they had another one on the way. They were a family, and from day one, they'd been one, although slightly dysfunctional and they hadn't at all acted like one for a few weeks, that's just what they were.

They were a family and you could always rely on your family to get you through the worst of times.

"Oh, come on," Bickslow said quietly as he leant forward over her slightly, a wide grin on his face. "That's all I get? No _'five floating dolls are nowhere as safe as a cat with wings'_?"

"C-considering Happy's dropped m-me in the ocean before, I'd survive with floating dolls," she said with another weak laugh. "Besides…" She turned her head towards Bickslow. "I'd have no problems with you carrying me on your babies, because I trust you." Because to be fair, a person was without a doubt a lot safer than a flying cat, even if that person happened to have a knack for acrobatic feats and was balanced on flying pieces of wood.

But she did trust Bickslow, so really, if they still had magic in that magic, she'd really have no problems with transportation via, well… the babies. And Bickslow, of course.

"Damn right you wouldn't," he chuckled quietly, leaning down to press a light kiss to her cheek.

She smiled softly then and brushed away the last of her tears. She'd found that as soon as Bickslow could find a way to make her smile or even laugh, she'd almost instantly stop crying. "But… Maybe not when I'm not the size of a whale."

"You're not going to be."

"But I will be soon."

"Okay, fine," he sighed. "But you'll still be hot as fuck."

"Unlikely," she scoffed.

Bickslow rolled his eyes. "You will be," he insisted. "I mean, you already are, but I'm convinced you'll just get sexier."

"Yeah, maybe to you."

"I'm the only one that matters, baby."

"Sure you are," she said, laughing quietly when he kissed her cheek again.

She did have to admit Bickslow had a bit of a point. It was only Bickslow's opinion that mattered, and as long as he was convinced she'd remain somewhat attractive as she got further along, she didn't particularly care what anyone else thought. Sure, she didn't believe it herself, and she still felt like she was just a little overweight at the least, but in reality, she wasn't. She was having a baby, and she was only going to get bigger. Natsu's words may have hurt like hell then, but… he really as an idiot, and Lucy knew it was only really meant as a joke.

The point was that she wasn't going to be a size zero forever, and she'd really have to get over that.

"But seriously though…" Bickslow mumbled then, propping himself up on his elbow once again. "Natsu's an idiot, and… I really don't think he would have said anything at all if he knew."

"I know," she sighed. "But… I just want to wait, at least until after the ultrasound. I want to tell everyone, I really do… But I just want a little bit more time, that's all."

"I know you do, and that's okay. I wouldn't even care if you spent the next seven months inside and didn't tell anyone. It would be a bit of a shock if that happened, but still. Whatever you want to do is fine."

Lucy smiled softly. "Spend the next seven months cooped up in here? No way," she scoffed. "I'm already losing my mind and it hasn't even been two weeks."

"Aw, it wouldn't be that bad," he chuckled. "You'd have me to keep you company. And Ingrid."

"As much as I l—" she paused suddenly, realising she'd been about to say a certain phrase, and she was glad that it was dark enough to hide the insane blush on her cheeks. Nope, no way was she saying that. "—love spending time with you guys," she said instead, internally high-fiving herself for the quick save of her possible blunder of words. "I couldn't do it every day."

And Bickslow was completely oblivious to it all anyway, so laughing still, he said, "Fair enough." If he were Lucy, there'd be no way he'd be able to survive spending all day with him either. Ingrid, maybe, but him? Not a chance. He'd drive himself insane, and he wasn't ashamed to admit that.

After all, he had a knack for irritating people with his pranks, jokes, and odd mannerisms. That's just who he was.

But then he remembered just why he was curled up in a ball under the blanket in the first place, he stopped laughing. Quickly, he pushed back the blanket and sheet just enough so their heads were uncovered, and when he was finally able to see Lucy looking up at him quizzically, he shrugged. "It was getting stuffy under there," he said simply.

"I didn't notice…"

"Anyway." He mentally shook his head to Lucy's reply. "As much as I'd love to just stay here like this, someone needs to go back out there, and if _I_ do, there's a high possibility of me punching Natsu in the face."

Lucy couldn't help but smile softly then, and whether it was because she was picturing Natsu getting punched in the face, or because of the fact that Bickslow actually looked serious, she did not know. "Why would you punch Natsu in the face?" she asked.

"Because no one who makes my girlfriend cry will live to tell the tale."

"Girlfriend?"

 _Shit_. "Partner in crime," he corrected himself, a smug smirk on his lips. Girlfriend… Partner in crime… Legal wife; they were all the same thing. Sort of. Bickslow didn't really know what she was to him, because they weren't putting any labels on anything. But still, he liked to think she was his girlfriend. Sort of.

She began to giggle when she realised that she quite liked being called his girlfriend. She was someone's actual girlfriend, and that was exciting! She'd never been that to anyone before, but to Bickslow, that's basically what she was. _Partner in crime_ had just been a way of avoiding using the terms girlfriend and boyfriend, because those seemed so official. But suddenly, she didn't seem to care all that much, because she really, _really_ liked Bickslow – maybe even loved him; she still wasn't _quite_ sure – and she could no longer see a problem with using such labels.

Besides, they were technically and legally married (not that they acted like it), so really, something like being called his girlfriend, or even calling Bickslow her boyfriend, was small in comparison.

Although, Lucy did have to admit that _partners in crime_ had grown on her.

"Girlfriend… Partner in crime… They're basically the same thing anyway," she mumbled, the corners of her mouth pulling up into a small smile. "But seriously though… You can't punch Natsu."

"Are you sure?" he asked. He was honestly a little disappointed.

"As much as it would make a good story – you know, telling Ingrid about that one time her father decided to punch her mother's best friend – it would only end badly, and I do not want a brawl starting in my living room."

"One time?" he repeated, laughing as he shook his head. "It wouldn't be the first time I've punched Natsu in the face."

Her brow became furrowed. "You've punched him before?" she asked sceptically, and when Bickslow nodded with a wide grin on his face, apparently enjoying it all too much, Lucy could only shake her head slightly. "Part of me wants to know why you would have done that—"

"Because he was being an idiot and he was pissing me off."

"—but the other part of me really doesn't want to know why."

"Sorry," he laughed again. "But seriously though, do you want me to go and get rid of them?" he asked quietly, turning serious and losing his smile, instead replacing it with a soft frown.

It took Lucy a while to respond, because she felt bad. They were her best friends, but she just couldn't bear to see them. She didn't want to explain why she'd run off crying and why it had hurt so much (because Happy teasing her was something she'd gotten used to). She'd explain it all one day, but she just really wanted to make sure everything was fine with the baby.

Just another week and a half. That's how long she had to wait to find out.

Surely she'd be able to keep her team at bay until then.

Right?

So when she nodded and gave a weak smile, Bickslow nodded in understanding before pushing himself up and folding the blanket and sheet back. "Okay," was all he said quietly with his own reassuring smile, and when Lucy pulled the covers back over her head as soon as he off the bed, he shook his head with a light chuckle.

When he got back out to the living room, he found Gajeel sitting on the lounge with Ingrid instead of Gray, and then the trio in question standing awkwardly around the space – Erza on one end of the lounge, smiling at Ingrid, Gray at the counter, and Natsu raiding his fridge while Happy preened himself just next to the sink.

Bickslow went over to Gajeel first and gently took the slightly confused infant from the other man's arms, much to his relief. "You didn't drop this one, did you?" he asked sarcastically.

"No," Gajeel replied, standing up when Bickslow took a step back to place Ingrid on the soft rug just in front of his feet. "I did not, thank you very much," he grumbled.

Dropping his own kid, yeah, fine, it happens. But someone else's kid? Not a fucking chance. Besides, Gajeel wasn't afraid to admit that he was scared of what Bickslow would do to him if he'd dropped Ingrid. He'd seen his face when Natsu had said something stupid again, and Bickslow had looked just about ready to send the guy through a wall, and that was just for making his girlfriend (or whatever she was to him, because Gajeel wasn't quite sure) cry. Dropping his kid was something else entirely, because as strange as it was to admit it, over-protective daddy Bickslow was probably going to be terrifying. Gajeel could really understand the over-protective part though. He really could.

"Is Lucy alright?" Erza asked quietly, sitting up straighter as she addressed Bickslow.

He nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "She's fine," or so he thought. "But you should all leave anyway," he said, his eyes narrowed as they flicked towards Natsu as he turned around, his mouth completely stuffed with food.

"But we were gonna go out and have fun," Natsu complained around a mouthful of food. Then, pausing to swallow, amazingly, he said clearly, "She hasn't seen Cana's bar yet."

Drinking? Yeah. Definitely not. Even if Lucy was really allowed to leave the house (and if she was, Bickslow still wasn't letting her because he was too paranoid), and if she did want them there at the moment, she still wouldn't go out to a bar of all places, because she wasn't allowed to drink, either.

"She can see it another day," he said.

"Aw, can't we at least go and talk to her then?" Natsu complained again, and it wasn't really helping with Bickslow wanting to punch the guy. He was acting like a child – maybe it's why Lucy's always been so good with Ingrid? Since after all, he'd heard stories about how she basically had to babysit the idiot.

Gray sighed before Bickslow could say anything, and when he slowly pushed himself up from the bar stool and as he stood and turned to give Natsu a look of annoyance, it was the first time Bickslow noticed that he'd lost his clothes. He couldn't help but wonder where they were as he did a quick scope over the apartment, but he was also glad that he at least still had his boxers on.

"Don't ya think Lucy doesn't want to see us right now, flame-for-brains?" Gray mumbled.

"Why the fuck wouldn't she?"

"Because you insulted her and made her cry, you moron!"

Natsu was suddenly in Gray's face and their heads were up against each other, and Bickslow could only roll his eyes while dropping his own head to his palm. Nothing was simple when it came to Lucy's team.

"Who you calling a moron, popsicle?" Natsu screamed.

"You, because you're a moron," Gray shot back.

It was only after a good few minutes of the two shouting insults at each other, Ingrid beginning to whimper and, strangely, beginning to try and tug and paw at the hem of Bickslow's pants, and after not one, but two glasses got broken, did Erza decide to interfere – because there was no way in hell Bickslow or Gajeel were going to break up the two of them. When it came to stopping Natsu and Gray, it was either Erza or Lucy, and one of them was currently curled up under a bed and hopefully not suffocating herself.

So with her own sigh, Erza got up from the lounge, and after mumbling a quick apology, she went over to the two in the kitchen and grabbed their shirt collars, one in each hand, and pulled them apart as they continued to try and grab each other to inflict harm. "What is wrong with you two?" she hissed. Before the two could even try and defend themselves, she silenced them with a look that had them both almost trembling.

She looked towards Natsu first. "You," she snarled. "Need to apologise to Lucy—"

"I don't even know what I did!" he whined.

"You insulted her."

"How?!"

"You basically called her fat!" Gray yelled at Natsu, a foot going out to kick the other man in the shin.

A scream came from Natsu then, and Bickslow leant down to pick up Ingrid who was getting more and more agitated and scared the more they yelled. "Can you all just stop yelling? Jesus fucking Christ…" he shouted, just loud enough for his voice to go over everyone in the room. When they all turned to look at him, Erza included, he narrowed his eyes. "Natsu, you made her cry, and right now, you're not helping with keeping Ingrid from crying, and if you make my daughter cry too, I will make _you_ cry."

"Like that'd—"

" _Natsu_."

The pink haired idiot pulled free from Erza's grip and folded his arms as Happy jumped up to his head, making himself comfortable atop the pink hair. "Fine, fine… No making people cry… Got it," he muttered.

"You still owe Lucy and Bickslow an apology," Erza said.

"Why Bickslow?"

"Because we've come into their home and caused problems for them," she said simply. "You, in particular, have caused problems."

Natsu blinked as he stared at Erza. There was obviously still a part of him that didn't quite understand what he'd done, but it wasn't all that surprising, because it was Natsu after all. So as Erza sighed and wrapped her hand around his arm and turned them towards the door, she looked towards Bickslow who was still watching them carefully – Natsu, in particular – and with a slight frown, she said, "We're sorry for upsetting Lucy, and… everything else."

Bickslow shrugged. "It's fine now," he mumbled. He honestly wasn't even expecting an apology at all, especially not from Natsu. Sure, it would have been nice, but it just wouldn't have happened.

It wasn't like he really cared about getting an apology now, either, because all he cared about was them leaving, and finally, they were.

"Tell Lucy she can call me… And we can talk, if she wants… Okay?" Erza said as she looked over her shoulder before shoving Natsu out the door after Gray. Bickslow could only nod before she pulled the door closed behind her.

He couldn't tell what it was, but it sounded… odd. It was almost strange for her to say that, even though she was one of Lucy's best friends. The only thing that came to mind that could possibly explain it was that she'd been given the fake explanation of sorts from Laxus, regarding his absence from work.

And maybe… Just maybe… she knew it wasn't exactly the truth, and she knew there was something else going on.

Whatever the case, it wasn't really good.

But Bickslow was pulled from his worrying thoughts at the sound of Gajeel sniggering, who was once again sitting in the corner of the lounge, his arms over the back on each side of him.

"Still want to put Salamander through a wall?" he asked, his sly smirk in place.

"Yup."

* * *

Bickslow turned back around to face the laughing blonde behind them, a frown on his face as he did so. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked for the seventh time that day alone.

"I'll be fine," Lucy laughed as she came to a stop just in front of Bickslow and his carry-on suitcase that was all packed and ready for his business trip to Crocus. "You know I will be."

"I know… but—"

"But nothing," she interrupted with a bright smile. "I'll be able to survive without you for three days, Bicks."

And she would be. It was three days and four nights, and she'd be absolutely fine. She had another ultrasound scheduled for the day before Bickslow got back, and she was confident that everything would be fine and she'd be in the clear. No more bleeding or spotting or anything – she still did, however, feel exhausted almost all day of every day, and she still felt like absolute crap most of the day – and with each day that passed, she really did worry less and less. At what she was calling ten weeks, there was still an incredibly low chance of her losing the baby, and that's what she was choosing to focus on: the fact it was an incredibly low chance.

She was confident that everything would be fine, and she'd be fine without Bickslow for a few days.

But Bickslow wasn't sure he'd be fine without Lucy for a few days. He'd grown accustomed to being with Lucy – and Ingrid – all day for the last two and a half weeks, and he just really didn't want to leave. He knew she was getting better, that she was happier and wasn't anywhere near as worried as she had been, and Bickslow really was glad about that. He loved seeing her happy and he loved seeing her smile and slowly beginning to enjoy every little thing about being pregnant – even the terrible things.

Even though he was glad about all of that, there was just a small part of him that worried about the possibility of something happening while he was gone. She wasn't going to be alone – either Claire or Mira would be there with her every day – but it was the fact that _he_ wasn't going to be there.

But damn it, he really didn't have a choice in leaving. Laxus had tried getting him out of going to Crocus, and it didn't help that Lucy was all but pushing him out of his own house. He wasn't above begging either of them to let him stay at home, but he knew it would get him nowhere. Laxus' hands were tied, and Lucy just really wanted him to go back to work, because she was convinced everything was going to be fine and she'd finally be allowed to come off her house arrest.

So frowning at Lucy's mischievous smile, he slowly stepped back towards the door, wheeling his suitcase with him. "Like, seriously… I'm sure if I just explain to Laxus that it will just be easier if I stay—"

"You're not saying," she interrupted again, looking up at Bickslow while backing him into the door. "I will literally drive you to the airport myself if I have to, and you really don't want me having to do that, do you?"

"Well… no."

"Exactly, so…" She continued to move forward until his heels were against the door and she was standing right in front of him, and she lazily lifted her arms to lace around his neck. "You have to go."

He frowned again. "But I don't want to. What if something happens? What if you get hurt or something happens with the baby—"

"Bickslow, I swear to god, you need to stop freaking out."

"I really do, don't I?" Even he could admit that. It was just making himself worse, and he had to believe that Lucy would be fine. So with a sigh of defeat, he dropped his own hands to wrap around her waist to pull her closer to him. "I really don't want to go though…" he mumbled.

She giggled again. "I know you don't, but it's just three days."

"And four nights."

"And when you get back, I'll be able to tell you all about the ultrasound and how everything is fine, and then we can talk about finding a time to get everyone together to tell them about the baby, and… Maybe even us. You know, if it comes up."

Bickslow arched a brow. "You'd want to tell people… about us?" he asked quietly.

"Well, yeah," Lucy said. "Why wouldn't I? Unless you wouldn't want to… In which case, that's perfectly fi—" But instead of Lucy interrupting Bickslow, it was the other way around as she was cut off by Bickslow's lips on hers, silencing her the best way he knew how.

"Trust me, I'm totally fine with people knowing about us," he said quietly after pulling away, a smirk in place. "I just didn't expect you to be."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "Because it's me, and it's you, and it's… weird." _And then there's the whole thing where I probably don't deserve you, but whatever._

"Well." Lucy nodded in agreement briefly. "Thanks to a certain someone, I have an affinity for weird." She really did understand the whole 'weird' thing though, but she just didn't care. Even though it hadn't been very long at all – less than a month, really – she didn't mind if people knew, and if anything, she wanted people to know. She liked Bickslow a hell of a lot, and she wasn't afraid to admit that.

So sure, it was weird, but that was only because it was unexpected – or maybe it wasn't that unexpected, because after all, they'd been living together for nearly two months, and they were bound to get to know each other and get close.

 _Oh, who even cares?_

The point was that she really did care for Bickslow, and she didn't care what anyone else thought about them being together. At all. And as long as Bickslow didn't care, then there was no problem. At all.

But then there was a knock on the door, and as Lucy giggled quietly, Bickslow groaned. He just really was not looking forward to the next three days.

They both took steps back, Lucy moving to the side a bit, giving Bickslow enough room to turn around and open the door to reveal the perpetually scowling Laxus, forever smiling Mira, and then Blake, who was holding his mother's hand while Laxus was leaning on the handle of his own suitcase.

"You ready to go?" Mira asked cheerfully, smiling at the two inside the apartment.

"No," Bickslow grumbled. Sighing again, he turned back to Lucy and quickly took her face in his hands before leaning down and kissing her, much to everyone's surprise, including Lucy's as he drowned out the slightest of squeaks. "Call me," he murmured, his lips still brushing against hers. "Every night."

"I'm not—"

Another kiss. "Yes, you are," he insisted. "Every night, or I'll call you, because I'll want to know if anything happens."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Nothing is going to happ—" But then she was cut off by Bickslow kissing her. Again. "Okay, you've gotta stop doing that," she giggled.

"No I don't," he said, and then, when Laxus cleared his throat rather dramatically, Bickslow quickly kissed her one final time, much to Laxus' growing disappointment and Mira's delight. "Seriously though," he mumbled as he pulled away again. "Don't do anything stupid. And take it easy, alright? And call me if anything happens."

"As much as Mira enjoys seeing you two… whatever the hell you two are, anyway," Laxus said suddenly, "We have a plane to catch, and the sooner we leave, the sooner Mira can get back and make sure Blondie behaves herself."

"Exactly," Lucy agreed. "So please," she said, pushing Bickslow out the door as Laxus all but dragged him out. "Go."

"But…" Bickslow started, a hand reaching out to grab the handle on the small suitcase before it was completely out of reach.

She laughed again as she came to stand in front of the door, her hand resting on the side and already slowly pushing it closed as Laxus tried his hardest to drag his best friend away from the door. "It's just three days, Bicks. _I'll be fine_ ," she said for what felt like the umpteenth time that day alone.

"Okay, okay…" Bickslow sighed. _Lucy will be fine._ _She'll have Mira or Claire with her until I'm back on Thursday morning… and she'll be fine._ _Totally fine. Nothing is going to happen. At all._

"Good bye, Bickslow," Lucy said, a smile on her face as she gently closed the door to the apartment as Laxus continued to drag Bickslow down the hall, Mira taking the suitcase instead. Just three days. And four nights. She'd be fine.

But… she would miss him. Just a little bit.

Okay, maybe more than a little bit.

But it was just three days. She'd be fine.

* * *

Lucy nervously bit her nails as she sat on the edge of the lounge, staring at the T.V but not actually watching what was on the screen. Mira sat just beside her, and both Blake and Ingrid were on the floor in front of the lounge – Ingrid sitting up on her own while playing with one of the totems, and Blake scribbling on some paper with pencils and crayons scattered around him.

It was a Wednesday, and being a Wednesday, it meant she had the much anticipated appointment with her obstetrician that afternoon. In fact, she'd be leaving in just over an hour, but that's not what Lucy was worried about. She really was confident everything would be fine with that baby, and that it was still happy and healthy, and maybe, just maybe, her house arrest would have been worth it.

No, she wasn't worried about the baby, but she was worried about Bickslow. Or, more importantly, what she was going to do about Bickslow, because Lucy found herself with a bit of a problem.

Well, it was actually a pretty big problem.

Lucy's problem was that not only did she almost let a certain three words slip (again) in her sleep deprived state while on the phone to Bickslow, but almost saying those three words kind of made her realise she meant it, and that was a huge problem.

She wasn't supposed to be in love with Bickslow, but she was damn sure that she was, and it was all she'd been able to think about in the, oh… not even twenty-four hours since her practically life-changing realisation.

It had taken Bickslow being gone for only a few days to see just how much she cared about him, and quite frankly, it was terrifying. The fact she'd seemed to have fallen in love with him almost instantly was scary, and it didn't matter that she'd wanted to know whether she did actually love him or not, because now that she knew, she almost wished she wasn't.

It wasn't something that was supposed to cause problems; it was something that was supposed to make you happy beyond all belief. And sure, there was a part of her that really was happy, because when she thought about Bickslow, she felt strangely warm and giddy, and she really couldn't help but feel happy when she thought about him. She thought about every time he'd made her laugh, every time he'd cheered her up, and every time he'd held her and promised her things would get better. She thought about all of his weird habits and all of his quirks, and she thought about just how caring he actually was, and all of it made her happy, because in the two months they'd been there, she'd gotten to know so much about the enigma who was once Fairy Tail's Seith mage, and she'd regretted not befriending him sooner, because to Lucy, Bickslow was an amazing person, and without a doubt, she could say that she loved everything about him.

But then she thought about the fact that she was in love with that amazing person, and there was no way in hell he'd be in love with her. It would be almost too perfect if he was, but Lucy had come to see that almost nothing was perfect in her life. Sure, it was pretty fucking great considering the circumstances, but not perfect.

A perfect life just didn't exist.

Lucy didn't really want a perfect life, either. She just wanted a life where she was happy, and she was happy. They were still working on moving on from the lives they'd inherited and making their own with the best of what they'd been given, and for the most part, they'd achieved that. There was still just one tiny, almost inconceivable thing stopping them from entirely moving on, but they just didn't know what it was, so they ignored it as best they could, like they'd always done.

But regardless of that, Lucy really was happy with the life she had. She had an amazing daughter whom she loved more than anything in the entire world, and it had only been two months, she had another baby on the way that she was getting more and more excited about with each passing day, and she had Bickslow… sort of.

Sure, they had a pretty good relationship so far, but it hadn't even been very long, less than a month, really, but Lucy kind of wanted more. She wanted more, but she didn't want to fuck it up, and ruining what she had with Bickslow was something she was really scared of happening. Lucy would rather keep her mouth shut and not blurt out her feelings that she so desperately wanted to blurt out, than ruin what she had with him. He was too important and he played such a huge part in her life that she didn't want to risk anything.

Maybe one day she'd tell Bickslow how she felt, but it wasn't going to be any time soon. She needed to figure out what to do with her problem before she could even think about going and screwing it all up, but never did Lucy ever expect to be calling her boyfriend, otherwise known as her partner in crime, a problem.

Ever.

* * *

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Mira beamed from one of the chairs in Dr. Elise Delia's office.

"Sure it is," Lucy mumbled with a roll of her eyes, getting up from her own chair and making her way over to the bed on the opposite side of the room.

And sure, it actually was exciting, because she was getting to see her baby, and more importantly, she got to find out if everything was fine and she was okay again. If you were to ask Mira what was the most important thing, then it would be that _she_ got to see the baby.

But it was the part of the day that Lucy had been looking forward to the most, and after all of the routine questions about whether or not she'd been taking her vitamins and following the rules she'd been given to take it easy, and then a hundred other ones, it was finally time to get to her favourite part – and Mira's, for that matter.

So with a quiet sigh, she jumped up onto the bed with the paper sheet and laid back, her ankles crossed over one another as she watched Elise roll the stool over to the side and get everything positioned accordingly. "You're going to give me good news today, right?" Lucy asked with a nervous laugh while slowly rolling her shirt up and folding her arms over the bunched up fabric.

"That's the plan," Elise replied with what Lucy hoped was a sincere smile. Not only was Lucy confident everything would be fine, but so was her doctor, so really, as long as she believed in it, Lucy was even more convinced she'd be finally able to come off house arrest.

Well, for the most part. There was still a tiny bit of her that worried, but she was always going to worry just a tiny bit, because after all, there was a person growing inside of her. How could she not worry about that tiny person constantly?

She flinched slightly when the gel was squirted onto her belly, because damn it, that shit was cold, and instead of watching the monitor that was on an angle she could just make out, she watched her doctor as she began to move the transducer every which way, gently rolling her wrist and rotating it to get a better view of the baby.

Of course, Lucy realised she probably should have been watching the screen – like Mira was as she hovered just behind Elise – but she still didn't really understand what she was looking at until things were pointed out to her. Besides, if she watched Elise, she would be able to tell if she saw something she didn't like, because her face would change.

Hopefully.

Well, not hopefully, but if something was wrong, Lucy hoped she'd be able to tell from her doctor's face. You know, if something was actually wrong, and she really really believed that everything was fine.

So Lucy remained silent as she continued to stare at Dr. Delia, watching for any sign that she saw something she didn't like that pointed to something being wrong.

And then it happened – the wrinkles in her brow deepened and a slight frown was etched on her lips, and Lucy instantly began to worry and panic. She didn't want to see that. That was not a good face at all.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, only quickly glancing towards the monitor and then back to Elise, her face still a mask of both confusion and deep concentration. "Is something wrong?"

Lucy so desperately wanted Elise to say no, because she didn't think she'd be able to handle something being wrong with the baby, especially without Bickslow. She said she'd be fine, and she'd told him over and over, every night since he'd left, that everything was fine, and that he needed to stop worrying about her and focus on his work.

But still, he wasn't due back until the next morning, and more than anything, Lucy really wished that he was right there beside her, holding her hand and promising her that everything would be fine, like he always did.

But then, Elise pressed a few keys on the keyboard just below the screen and rotated it towards Lucy, her face still not one that was making Lucy feel any better, and with a loud exhale, she said, "Well, not exactly…"


	25. Chapter 25

A hand ran down his face before he lazily dropped it to his lap, and as the taxi pulled away from the bay, he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Bickslow sighed when he saw two missed calls from Lucy, and he would have called her back instantly if it hadn't been the middle of the night and his phone was about to go flat.

All afternoon, he'd been constantly worrying about how Lucy was, and if everything had been okay on the ultrasound. He couldn't bear to stomach the thought of something bad happening to the baby – and Lucy – when he was on the opposite side of the country. He didn't think he'd ever be able to forgive himself if anything had happened, not when he should have been there with her.

But he still had to remain optimistic. After all, he made a point of telling Lucy that everything would be okay. It didn't matter how much it worried him, because he had to believe in his own words.

When he heard his phone beep quietly in his hand, Bickslow looked down just in time to see it shutting off, and then quickly put it back in his pocket. _Well, guess I'll be staring out the window for the rest of the ride_. Not that it was a bad thing, of course, because even in the middle of the night, the city of Magnolia in that world was lit up like a Christmas tree. Even after being in that world for two months, the city could occasionally take Bickslow's breath away as he looked out of his apartment windows. He just didn't think he'd ever completely get used to the modernised world, as much as he found himself loving it.

As he looked out the window at the back of the taxi he was sitting in, the regional airport just something that was in the rear-view mirror, Bickslow's thoughts drifted back to Lucy. He missed her. Truly. Just like he missed Ingrid. They were his girls and his family, and he loved them both dearly. All he wanted was to be back at home with them because that's where he was happiest. Lucy, Ingrid, the baby; they were his entire world and it was why he wouldn't change the life he had. Not in a million years and not for anything. Ever.

They were his family, his world, his happiness. And he knew that he was only bound to get happier when it was the four of them, and not just the three them. It was what Bickslow so desperately wanted, because he wanted everything to be okay with that fourth member of their little family. He wanted another reason to smile, other than Ingrid, and he wanted to believe that the baby – _their_ baby – was still healthy and fine.

He had to believe that everything was fine.

But non-stop, he'd been worrying about it. He tried to be positive, he really did, but all Bickslow had wanted to do that morning was jump on a plane, ditch the last day of the conference in Crocus, and head back home so he could be with Lucy. He'd wanted to be there, right by her side, to find out if their baby was okay and everything else was fine.

If anything, he'd wanted to be there to ease his own concerns, rather than Lucy's. It wasn't his lovely partner in crime that was freaking out about it all, but instead, it was Bickslow. The tables had turned, and for the past two nights when they'd called each other before Lucy went to bed, _she'd_ had to tell _him_ that everything would be fine.

If Laxus hadn't _calmed_ Bickslow down with a hit to the jaw that still made him ache just a little bit (surprisingly, it hadn't been that hard, and he was glad it wasn't bruised or even broken), then he really would have left. Bickslow knew Laxus had been sick of all of his incessant worrying and acting miserable because he was away from Lucy and Ingrid (Bickslow was still trying to forget the ride to the airport in the first place, where all Mira and Laxus had done was tease him about his goodbye), and the man had done his best to calm him down; partly because he hated it and it was annoying, and partly because Bickslow had a job to do and he didn't have time to be worrying. It was the hard truth.

But throughout the day, all Bickslow could think of was what Lucy was doing. He just couldn't help it. By the time the last event for the trip had finished though, no one could have stopped Bickslow from quickly going back to their hotel and packing up all of his clothes and getting on the first flight back to Magnolia. He didn't want to have to wait until the next morning to see Lucy, and he didn't want to call her that night either. He just wanted to see her, and be home so he could hold his daughter.

The only problem was that every single flight just kept getting pushed further and further back, and Bickslow was stuck sitting at the airport and waiting for the damn plane he needed to be on. Sure, he probably should have told Lucy that he was coming home early, but between doing his best to get the hell out of Crocus and away from all of the sharks that ran the business world he apparently lived and breathed in, he just hadn't had the time. Then, when he'd been waiting in those god-awful chairs at the airport, it had just been a matter of his phone being off to conserve the battery. He hadn't charged it since the night before, and he'd been using it non-stop throughout the day.

He wasn't supposed to be getting back to Magnolia in the middle of the night, but he had, and there was nothing he could have done about it. Thankfully, though, the trip from the airport to their apartment wasn't that long of a drive, and even though both Lucy and Ingrid would be asleep, he felt himself relax just a little as he looked up to the marquee out the front. Being away for just a few days – away from his family – was something he did not enjoy.

Bickslow paid his taxi driver, and sluggishly lifted his suitcase from the boot of the car before dropping it to the quiet sidewalk, only the stray intoxicated person seen walking the streets between clubs. As he walked into the main lobby, pulling the suitcase behind him with one hand and finally undoing his tie that he'd only loosened earlier with the other, and smiled to the night guard that manned the floor. Bickslow always supposed it was nice that their apartment building had the odd guard at night, and from what he could tell, they all seemed to know most of the building's residents. It was just a little relieving to know that his kids would be growing up in what he assumed to be a safe building, if they even grew up there at all. They had the spare room, but still, they'd never really discussed moving to a different place, not when all of their friends were in the same building.

But as he finally got into the elevator and it began its slow ascent to the twenty-fourth floor, he felt his lids get heavy and he fought to keep them open. He was so close, and he was certain that as soon as his head hit the pillow of his own bed, he was going to crash. He just hoped he didn't disturb Lucy too much, if at all.

* * *

Lucy's eyes were trained on the glowing television screen in front of her, but she wasn't watching it. She just needed something to break the silence in the apartment. Mira was long gone, having left earlier that evening to go and get her own son sorted out and ready for bed, and Ingrid had long since been put to bed. All had been quiet in the place Lucy called home, but every night, she couldn't have helped but notice it wasn't quite the same without Bickslow. It just didn't really feel like home, and that night, the feeling was stronger than usual.

It had been so quiet that Lucy had hoped that Ingrid would wake up, just so Lucy wouldn't be alone with the thoughts she couldn't silence. She'd even debated waking the infant up, but it had been a fleeting thought as she realized just how ridiculous it had been. So she left her daughter to sleep in peace, undisturbed like she did most nights, and how Lucy knew she should have been.

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning, but Lucy just couldn't sleep. She'd just sat there on the lounge, her legs crossed under her and one hand resting gently on her belly. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare with her eyes slightly glazed over. She was tired, undoubtedly, but she couldn't shut off her mind enough to finally let sleep claim her. She knew she needed to as well, but it didn't matter how much she told herself she needed to curl up in the bed she'd been sleeping alone in for the last three days and close her eyes, because it just didn't work.

How was she supposed to sleep when all she could do was worry? Her mind was flurry of thoughts and emotions. Panic was the one at the forefront, and she let it consume her. Mira had tried to calm her down earlier, tried to tell her that everything would be fine and okay, but it just hadn't worked. Hell, Lucy had tried telling herself a million times over that everything would work out, but that hadn't worked either.

She knew it didn't really matter how many times she told herself, or anyone could tell her the exact same thing, because she only really needed Bickslow to tell her. If Bickslow told her that everything would be fine, then it would be. He promised her that everything would be okay, and even though she had told him time and time again that it wasn't a promise he could actually make, she still needed him to come through on it.

She needed the reassurance; the hope. She needed Bickslow to be there for her, because she couldn't do any of it alone. Not now, not ever.

When she heard the faint sound of keys in the lock, Lucy suddenly looked up and her brow became furrowed as she stared to the door in the dark. She was confused, but she was glad. Even if it was just because her mind was currently preoccupied with wondering who was at her door, it was a break from all of the thoughts she hadn't been able to shut off. The future, their lives… What she was going to do. Everything. She needed a break from all of that, because she could see that not being able to stop thinking about it was just making her situation all the more worse.

But then the door slowly opened, and a hand reached out to flick the light switch just by the door. Lucy blinked as the room lit up and the warm glow filled the space. When she saw Bickslow running a hand through his slightly dishevelled hair, she could only stare in wonder. "Bicks?" she whispered.

It only took him a few seconds to realize that Lucy was sitting on the lounge and the T.V. was on a soft volume, and as he dropped his keys to the table by the door and closed it gently, he turned to look at his girlfriend. "What are you even doing up?" he asked, foregoing the greeting and doing his best to refrain from jumping over the back of the lounge to tackle her and pull her into his arms. It didn't help that he didn't have the energy to do it anyway.

"I… I couldn't sleep," she mumbled. "What are you even doing back? I thought you were getting in tomorrow?"

"Decided to leave after the last event at the conference, but then the flights were delayed for a few hours," Bickslow said as he shrugged. It was only then did he notice just how different Lucy seemed. Her eyes while turned towards him didn't seem to see him at all; they had a distant far off look. Her chestnut eyes seemed dull; listless and sunk in. He watched as Lucy turned her sightless eyes back to the T.V., slipping back into whatever trance like state she had been in before he came home. A sense of unease settled deep in his chest as he took in the shaken and dazed sight of his girlfriend. Something wasn't right.

Bickslow noticed the tension she seemed to hold in her shoulders and watched as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth to worry it as she slipped further into her own head.

"Hey, Lucy, is everything alright?" he asked softly.

"Um… I…" Lucy looked down to Bickslow as he crouched down in front of her, and for the first time that night, Lucy found she could actually focus on something other than her own tumultuous thoughts. She could feel her worry easing only slightly as she looked into the crimson eyes that were swimming with fear. Her brow only became more furrowed as her lips turned down into a soft frown. It was so simple to say, only a few words, really, but she just couldn't for some reason.

Maybe she was scared? Maybe it was because she was scared of what Bickslow's reaction would be… Maybe she was worried about Bickslow not being able to keep his promise.

When she trailed off, Bickslow could feel his worst fears bubbling up to the surface, and already, it was like someone was taking a knife to his chest and was pressing it directly into his heart. _No, no, no… anything but that…_ He just didn't want to believe that's what it was all about. But as he quickly glanced down to hand that she had resting on her abdomen, he took her free hand between both of his and looked back up. "Lucy, did something happen… with the baby?" he whispered, afraid that if he spoke any louder that his voice would crack. It hurt to ask, the thought that they may have lost the baby causing his heart to stutter in its rhythm. As much as he didn't want to ask, it had to be done.

"W-Well, no…"

He dropped his head with a loud sigh of relief. He could feel it wash over him and the knife in his heart was no longer being twisted. "Jesus Christ, Cosplayer," he muttered as he slowly stood. "Don't scare me like that." The baby was what he'd been worrying the most about, and just hearing Lucy say that nothing had happened eased almost all of his worries.

As long as it was happy and healthy – which he still hoped it was – it was all that mattered. Everything else he could get through. They would get through whatever the world threw at them together, as the little family they were.

As he pulled Lucy to her feet gently, he picked up the remote to switch the television off with his other hand. "Come on," he said softly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead when she stood, that same far-off and slightly distressing look returning to her eyes. "You can tell me everything – good or bad, though I'm hoping not terrible – in bed, because right now, I'm exhausted." All he wanted to do was curl up with his girlfriend and listen about her day and how the ultrasound went.

Lucy nodded silently before Bickslow turned and began to walk towards the bedroom, leaving his suitcase next to the bench. His words echoed in her head over and over again. _Not terrible. Not terrible. Not terrible._ Lucy knew her news wasn't terrible, but in truth, she didn't know if it was good or bad. She wouldn't know until she told Bickslow.

And it was really only a few words, and then it would be out there, she'd know just whether it was good or bad news. She desperately wanted it to be good, but she was terrified of it ending up being bad. Lucy's fear of his reaction to the words she wanted to, but at the same time didn't want to say were gripping her heart and stealing her breath.

But she had to put that fear aside. She had to put every worrying thought that had slowly wormed its way back to the front of her mind and dominated her thoughts aside. She had to the say those words. It really shouldn't be hard at all, but it was. Her tongue suddenly felt thick in her mouth that may as well have been sandpaper for the dryness in her throat.

With a quiet breath, the blonde steeled herself to say them, and as she looked down to her hands that she'd begun to wring together, she closed her eyes and hoped for the best. "It's twins…" she said barely above a whisper.

She waited for something – a curse, a shout, anything – but time seemed to slow down. She'd briefly wondered if she hadn't said it loud enough for Bickslow to hear, and she hoped that was the reason for the near deafening silence that filled the room again. But as she peeked her eyes open just to see if Bickslow was looking at her in shock or maybe disbelief, she saw the blue-and-black haired man fall forwards with a loud thud in the hall.

"B-Bickslow!" Lucy's eyes went wide as she let out a shriek, and quickly crossed the distance to kneel in front of where Bickslow had gone down. "H-Hey, Bicks…" she whispered. She lifted a hand to gently comb through his hair, and as she looked down to him with the side of his face pressed into the hardwood floors, she let out a quiet sigh as the corners of her mouth lifted up into a soft smile.

Sure, she was still worried as hell about what Bickslow would think and whether they'd be able handle having twins – considering Ingrid was only going to only really be a little over a year by the time they were born – and whether or not he'd stick by her (because she really couldn't do any of it on her own), but Lucy hadn't quite expected him to pass out. It just wasn't the reaction she'd expected, and she really couldn't help but find it a little entertaining.

Thankfully, though, it wasn't that long before Bickslow finally regained consciousness. A minute or two at most, and when he did finally wake up, he became aware of Lucy running her fingers through his hair and an almost sharp pain in his jaw. Again. He figured it had something to do with the fact that he currently had his face against the floor, and it just happened to be the same side Laxus had socked him on earlier.

As he slowly began to get his bearings again, pushing himself up slightly with a groan to sit up with his back against the wall and his legs out in front of him, he remembered the words he'd barely heard just before he assumed to have passed out.

Twins.

He turned his head to look at the blonde, her lip between her teeth and anxiously looking at him. He could feel his heart begin to race, and he was sure it was because he was freaking the fuck out. "D-Did you…" he whispered, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out if he'd even heard it correctly in the first place. "Did you say…?"

"Twins," Lucy finished for him, her face slightly contorted as she prepared for the worst. "I'm, uh… well, I guess we are… having twins."

"As in… two?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile again. She could see him processing it, and the fear on his face was strangely adorable. "As in two," she echoed.

Bickslow nodded. "Huh…" Two babies. Two. Fucking. Babies. Plus Ingrid, and considering Ingrid was still going to be a baby herself, they would have three babies. They would have three babies at the same time. Was there anything about that concept that wasn't terrifying? Because Bickslow couldn't find it. He was still trying to get over the fear of being a father to Ingrid in the first place, and then the baby that Lucy was carrying. But now there was another one? Just how could that happen? "Um, how is that even possible?" he asked as he looked up again. "I mean, the last, what? Three scans? Pretty sure there was just one in there, and I'm pretty sure they can't just randomly multiply…" _Or can they?_ He had to mentally shake his head to dislodge the somewhat worrying conclusion that they were somehow having a mutant baby.

Lucy had actually asked the exact same question once her doctor had announced that she was not just pregnant with one, but two babies. Hell, it apparently explained a few slightly 'abnormal' test results, too. "Well, apparently one can be hidden behind the other, and if they're not looking for multiples, then they can occasionally be overlooked," she explained, continuing to watch Bickslow's face for any changes. But instead, he just remained almost… stoic. He just stared at her, but she didn't think he was actually looking at her. _Oh god. Have I broken him?_ "Are you… Are you okay?" she whispered, shifting forwards slightly.

Bickslow only turned his head to stare at the wall in front of him. He was still trying to wrap his head around it all, but it was doing so slowly. Panicked didn't even begin to come close to describe what he was feeling, but was he okay? _Yeah…_ Yeah, he was okay. Two babies. Two fucking babies.

A slow smile split his lips as he turned back to Lucy, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm okay," he whispered, and the instant he saw her shoulders drop as she let go of all that tension – he realised she'd been holding because of him – he let out a quiet chuckle. "I'm even more terrified than I was before, but I'm okay." He lent over to cup her cheek with one hand and then lightly pressed his lips to hers.

"Are you sure?" Lucy whispered, lifting her eyes to meet Bickslow's.

"Positive." And he really was okay, because like one of their trusty neighbours had said, 'the best things in life are those that are unexpected,' and she couldn't have been more right. Everything in that world had been unexpected, and Bickslow loved all of it. From Lucy, to Ingrid, to the baby that turned out to be _babies_ ; all of it had come as a surprise starting with that one morning, and they really were the best things in his life.

And as Bickslow leaned in to kiss her again, Lucy felt the rest of her worries dissolve into nothing. That was what she had needed; she had needed to know that Bickslow was okay with it all and that the man she loved would still be by her side with everything. Sure, she was still terrified about the prospect of having twins, but that was okay. She'd been terrified about having a baby in the first place. Her fear had only been upped… Slightly.

"We can do this, right?" she murmured as she pulled away slightly, their lips only barely touching with her arms lazily looped around his neck. It was just that last reassurance she needed. She needed to know that they could do it all.

"Of course we can." That was one thing Bickslow could say without a single doubt in his mind, because he knew that they would. And really, it was only because he knew Lucy could. Lucy could do anything, and it was just one of the many reasons that made her so amazing and why he was in love with her. He was really just there to support her, and that he could do. It was why he knew they'd get through it, and he had hard proof that they could. They had survived in a brand new world with a baby. Hell, they were still surviving, but Bickslow was entirely convinced it was all because of Lucy.

If he hadn't woken up in that bed next to her, he didn't think he'd be happy. Bickslow was only a little ashamed to admit that he was useless when it came to most things, but when it came to the entire domestic life, it was a different story. He'd never thought it to be a life he'd enjoy – not for a while, anyway – but Bickslow believed if he hadn't had Lucy there with him to help him adjust and learn about the life that they'd been thrown into, then he wouldn't enjoy it as much as he did. They'd learnt about everything they needed to know together, and learning how to cope with newborn twins and a fourteen-month old was just something else they'd do together.

Bickslow just liked to believe that they could do anything together, because they were a family. Albeit weird, and granted, not as small as he'd thought it to be only half an hour earlier, but they were a family, and families got through everything together.

"Now," Bickslow slowly pushed himself to stand, and he steadied himself against the wall he'd been leaning on with one hand when his head began to spin slightly. The exhaustion was coming back as he felt his lids get heavy again and the urge to crash intensified, having only forgotten about it in his brief moment of complete shock. "I'm still exhausted," he continued, a hand reaching down to help pull Lucy to her feet. "And you know Ingrid likes to wake up early, so we both need to go to bed."

"I know," she said with a sigh of defeat. If anything, her daughter had a knack for waking up extra early when her parents had gone to bed much later than usual.

"I'll be in in a minute. Just let me turn off the lights."

She nodded as she turned and slowly headed down the hall, and suddenly, she could feel her desire to sleep catching up with her. It was no secret she'd been going to bed far earlier than she usually had in the last few weeks, but this was late, even by her standards. She felt dead on her feet, and she knew it was because she wasn't worrying and fretting about everything anymore.

It was all because of Bickslow, really. So quickly, and with just a few words, he had eased her worries and stopped her from having a panic attack she could feel was coming. But he'd calmed her down with just a few words that she knew were true, because she believed in Bickslow with everything she had. He'd been the one to get her through everything up to that point, and she knew he'd be the one to get her through everything else. So if he said that they could do it, then she believed him.

She just knew she didn't have anything to worry about. Not when Bickslow was there to help her through it all.

When Bickslow finally climbed into his side of the bed only a few minutes later after switching off the lamp on his nightstand, he sighed in content as his head hit the soft pillow. "I missed you," he muttered, his eyes closing when he could no longer keep them open.

"Me or the bed?"

"Both," Bickslow chuckled tiredly before he reached out in the dark to snake his arm around her waist and pull her close to him, moving the pillow forward slightly as he met her in the middle of the distance. "I did miss you though," he whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek.

"I missed you too," she replied with a soft smile. She really had missed him though, even if it really had just been three days. When she'd spent every second of every day with him for the last couple of weeks in the same small apartment, she'd gotten used to him constantly being around.

Just when Lucy was sure that their conversation was over and that they were both finally going to get the sleep they both needed (greatly), she was gently and quickly rolled onto her back. "What the hell are you doing now?" she mumbled, only letting out a quiet giggle when she felt Bickslow shifting on the mattress next to her to instead use her belly as a pillow, rather than his actual pillow. "You alright there?" she asked, folding the heavy quilt back so she could thread her fingers through the hair that felt far too soft.

"I'm superb," he murmured with a lazy grin. Bickslow only lifted his head enough to gently roll her shirt up – something he knew she was fine with – before lowering his head again and pressing a light kiss to her belly. It was something he'd come to enjoy far too much, and he was sure that if anyone found out just how much of a softy he was with the entire pregnancy thing, he'd never hear the end of it. Especially from Laxus. "How are our babies though?"

"Which ones?" Because technically, she had a few.

"All of them," he replied. "Including you." Lucy was his baby. Without a doubt.

She sighed, only pausing slightly to smile down softly at the dim image of Bickslow resting his head on her. "Well, Ingrid's fine. Mira and Claire helped out a lot with her while you were in Crocus. Since I'm included, I'm also fine. More fine now that you're here."

"And these two?" He couldn't curb the concern that started to build up again. Maybe something was wrong with them, and maybe that was why she'd left them for last. He sure hoped not.

She smiled again. "The twins are fine. Everything is good. Happy and healthy."

"Good," he murmured before turning his head again to lightly press kisses all over her stomach, his hands gently holding on to her hips as he felt her giggle beneath him. "And you better stay that way," he said between kisses. "Because I really don't want to be having a heart attack before I'm thirty."

"You're an idiot sometimes," she giggled. A cute idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

Bickslow sat up again to climb up her body, instead moving so he was kneeling over her hips as he fixed her shirt, and then leaned down to take her face in his hands. "Yeah, but right now, I'm your idiot," he murmured, his grin only disappearing as he claimed her lips. Damn, he'd missed that, and it had only been three days. He didn't know what he was going to do if he ended up having to take any more business trips.

"I suppose so…"

"But hey, guess what."

"What?" Lucy asked, her interest suddenly peaking again.

Another wide grin split his face as he looked down to his girlfriend in the dim light coming from the only window in the room. "We're having twins," he said. Bickslow didn't know what it was, but suddenly, he was feeling a whole lot more excited about it all. Sure, he was still terrified – which he reasoned any parent would be – but he was feeling pretty fucking ecstatic right now.

Maybe it was the prospect of having two more tiny humans that were just like Ingrid, because he really did love Ingrid more than anything in the entire world, or maybe it was because his family was going to be that little bit bigger. He just didn't know.

All Bickslow did know, was that he really could not wait for the next six-months to fly by so he could hold the two other tiny humans that would dominate his life.

* * *

"Come on already."

"Don't push me," Lucy grumbled in response as she pulled open yet another drawer in her wardrobe and began lifting up folded shirts.

Bickslow rolled his eyes before he walked into the room and fell back down onto the bed behind Lucy. "Cosplayer takes far too long to get ready," he said to the smiling infant on his chest. "Oh? What's that you say? You say it doesn't matter what she wears? Well, Ingrid, I have to agree with you on that one."

"Oh, shut up, Bicks," Lucy mumbled before she tugged the blouse she was currently wearing off and threw it into another drawer, only to pull on a plain black singlet. She stepped to the side to look at herself in the mirror, and she frowned as she began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt where it sat over the grey maxi skirt. "This doesn't work eith—"

She was cut off by a groan from the former Seith mage, and looked to him in the mirror as he sat up. "Baby, you look fine."

"I just feel fat though…" she mumbled, turning to the side as a hand smoothed over her bump. She knew she wasn't fat – at all – because she quite obviously was having a baby (or two, as it turns out). She just couldn't curb that feeling to throw on an oversized sweater and swelter, just so she could hide it until she had to tell everyone. It was almost an inconvenience that she was more comfortable in the more form-fitting clothes, especially shirts.

And of course, those form-fitting clothes just happened to perfectly show off her growing belly.

Bickslow got up from the bed and moved Ingrid to the one arm as he walked over to the wardrobe against one wall, and slowly began pushing all of the open drawers closed, and sliding the mirrored doors closed. "Lucy," he said softly as he came up beside her, his free arm going around her waist as he leaned down to press a light kiss to her cheek. "You're not, and you know it."

She frowned as she looked in the mirror again. "I know, but—"

"No buts. You look perfect." Before she could get a word in to try and say she wasn't perfect (even though Bickslow was sure it would be an argument he would win, because she was perfect. To him, anyway), he quickly bent down to capture her lips in a chaste kiss, only pulling back with a slight smirk. "Now come on. Ingrid may have had her breakfast, but I'm starving, and I'm pretty sure if you get changed one more time, we'll be late."

"Fine, fine…" Lucy sighed in defeat before she fiddled with the hem of her shirt once again, making sure it was comfortable as she lightly tugged at the fabric.

Bickslow was right, as he always was, and they really would be late if she did change one more time. They were pushing it as was, because they were supposed to be going to Laxus and Mira's apartment for breakfast, and they would probably be the last ones to arrive as it was, and that was saying something.

The group get-togethers had been something they'd decided to do on a monthly basis, as a sort of anniversary. The previous month, it had been dinner at the restaurant, at which Levy had suddenly gone into labour. This month, though, it was something far simpler, and that was only because Bickslow and Lucy had mentioned something to the hosts about announcing their pregnancy. And of course, they were expecting all hell to break loose. At least if it was in a private setting, there would be no scenes to be made.

It just seemed fitting they do it then anyway, because it was only a few days past having been in that world for exactly two months, and at nearly eleven weeks along, Lucy really did have no choice in telling people.

But she was okay with finally letting everyone know, because she knew the babies were okay. Everything was fine and looking good. They were happy and healthy, and she was finally allowed to come off her house arrest. Though, she still did have to take it easy, but that was fine. She could do that. If anything, she was just glad about finally being able to pick her daughter up again.

When they stepped into the elevator, Lucy with her bag over her shoulder with her own and Ingrid's things, and Bickslow holding Ingrid in one arm and holding one of the tiki dolls in the other hand, she let out a shaky breath as she watched the floors light up at the top of the doors.

 _27… 28… 29…_

Bickslow looked down then and seeing Lucy's face, he quickly reached out to pull the emergency stop on the elevator. Lucy looked up as the lights dimmed and they came to a stop, and she looked to Bickslow in confusion.

"We don't have to tell them if you don't want to," Bickslow said. He could see what was going through her mind, the unease set on her face only barely. He wouldn't blame Lucy if she didn't want to tell anyone just yet, because it was a huge thing. If she needed more time, then Bickslow didn't care; he didn't care if people knew or not, in all honesty. As long as Lucy was happy, and if it would make her happy to keep it just between them and the few other people who knew about the baby (because Mira was still the only other person outside of themselves who knew it was actually twins), then Bickslow just wouldn't mind. "We can just go home—"

"No," Lucy said with another sigh before she reached out to take Ingrid from Bickslow's arms and pull her against her chest. "I want to tell them… I just…" She looked down to the angelic face of her daughter against her shoulder, and she smiled softly. _I can't wait until the other two will be here…_ "I'm worried about what everyone else will think," she said quietly. "I mean, what if… What if they think we're making a mistake? What if they all say it's a bad idea… And what if…" _What if I change my mind?_

It was the the truth though. She was so nervous about what their reactions would be that it was beginning to scare her. She could feel her chest tighten and she was sure her hands would be shaking if she wasn't holding on to Ingrid. Lucy didn't want to believe that that's what her friends would do, but she could see it happening. More than anything, though, she didn't want to believe that all of their doubts would wear off on her and convince her of what she couldn't help but admit had been a thought at the very back of her mind the entire time.

What if it really was a bad idea? What if they weren't doing the right thing?

Bickslow could see what was happening though, and it was making his own worry mount. The only difference was that his was about Lucy, not their friends. It was just another thing Bickslow couldn't care less about, because to him, it just didn't matter what anyone else thought. "Hey, come on," he said as he wound his arms around her, smiling softly at her as she looked up from Ingrid. "Don't worry about what everyone else thinks. It's not their life, it's ours. No one else matters, because as long as this is what you and I want, they can all go fuck themselves."

Lucy smiled as a quiet huff of laughter escaped. "I suppose…" she whispered. "I'm still nervous though." And she was. It didn't matter how right Bickslow was – because it really didn't matter what everyone else thought, as long as she believed she was doing the right thing, which she did for the most part – because she still worried about what their reactions would be. She'd already figured out that they would automatically assume that her and Bickslow were an item (which they were), and that they'd think that they were sleeping together (which they weren't), thus ending with her being pregnant… But really, that just wasn't the case at all, and she knew it was going to take a bit to explain the entire conundrum to her less than mastermind friends… Or just Natsu, really.

"I'm nervous too," Bickslow said with a grin.

"Don't worry, Erza doesn't have any swords here."

"I wasn't worried about her until now, so thanks for that," he chuckled, feeling his heart almost skip a beat at that sparkle in her chocolate eyes. It was just another one of the countless things that made him love her all the more. "I'm worried about not being able to stop myself from punching Natsu in the face." Because really, he still wanted the punch the guy, even though he hadn't seen him since that time he'd made Lucy cry. He was still entirely convinced Natsu was going to say something stupid, and he still really, really wanted to hit the guy.

* * *

Lucy took a sip from her glass of orange juice before placing it back down on the table and looking back down to Ingrid on her lap, all while trying to figure out just what it was that had the juice tasting slightly different. The infant had strategically been placed on her lap, rather than in the high-chair that Mira had found they had from when Blake was obviously younger, or with Bickslow. She was essentially using her daughter as a blockade until she was ready to make the announcement, and as everyone got close to finishing eating, she knew it was getting close. It was still a bit of a mystery as to how no one had seen it or commented on the fact she was, well… Definitely not as skinny as she had been the last time everyone had seen her.

For the time being, though, she was just enjoying the company. Even Levy and Gajeel had made it with their twins, and it was the first time they'd been out since Ellis and Emery had been born, so not only was Lucy enjoying being out of the house, but Levy was too.

She sat at the corner of the large table in the penthouse apartment. Bickslow sat just next to her on the shorter end, and the empty high-chair sat between them right on the corner. Levy sat next to her, currently rocking her son as Juvia hovered just over the two and cooed, and Bickslow sat next to Gajeel who was holding his daughter. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the hushed conversation Bickslow and Gajeel seemed to be having, mainly because it was about newborns. Lucy found it incredibly endearing just how much Bickslow was getting into the entire thing, and she was convinced that her boyfriend knew more about newborns and babies than she did. He'd spent far too much time reading up and researching all he could about how to look after them, because undoubtedly, a nearly seven-month old was in a whole different ballpark.

It was seeing that that made Lucy all the more convinced that they could do it all – the three kids who were all going to be under the age of two at some point – and that it was the right idea. He was like a giant kid himself when it came to his excitement over it all, and Lucy would be lying if it wasn't contagious. The more excited Bickslow got, the more she felt the same.

She really was absolutely ecstatic about it all, and Bickslow really was right; it didn't matter what everyone else thought, because ultimately, it was their life and no one else's. Everyone else be damned.

"Hey, Mira, did you do something different with the orange juice today?"

Lucy was brought from her thoughts and tore her gaze away from Bickslow and Gajeel just next to her to look to the youngest Strauss at the opposite end of the table.

Mira looked quizzically to her sister. "No. Why?" she asked, only before reaching for the pitcher that was only half-full and pouring some into an empty glass.

"It just tastes a little weird, that's all," Lisanna said, only to receive a few nods in agreement.

It was only then did a certain brunette affix a smirk to her lips as she slowly sipped from her own glass, and watching her suspiciously, Mira took a sip. Lucy could feel the dread rise within her as she watched Mira try to pinpoint just what was different about it.

"Cana…" Mira said as she scowled at the snickering brunette just a few seats away from her.

"What?" Cana replied as a collective groan was heard around the table. "Levy doesn't even like orange juice, so what's the big deal? No one will get hurt," she defended herself, shrugging as everyone stared at her in disappointment. Trust Cana to spike everyone's breakfast drinks.

Including Lucy's.

She could feel Bickslow's eyes on her, and she turned to give him a reassuring smile as she nodded, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm fine," she whispered. It was less than one drink, and she'd only had a few sips from the juice as it was. _I'll be fine… Nothing will happen… The babies are fine… Just fine._ A few sips wasn't going to do anything. It was what she told herself over and over in her head as everyone went back to chatting away amongst themselves quietly.

But then she cleared her throat as she pushed her glass just a little bit further away. "Speaking of spiked juice…" Lucy said, garnering everyone's attention and forcing all eyes to her. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to announce it all, really. "We have a bit of an announcement."

" _We_?" Gray echoed.

Lucy smiled softly. "Bickslow and I," she said. "Well, we're um… Well, I am…" She could feel her heart begin to race again as she briefly glanced down to Ingrid in her lap. _Come on, Lucy. It's like ripping off a band-aid. Just say it already._ She took a deep steadying breath before she looked back up, and with another smile, she finally said, "I'm pregnant."

Mira squealed, Laxus remained indifferent, Levy and Gajeel only smiled slightly, and everyone else just… well, they mostly just looked to her in shock. Natsu kept scarfing down bacon and sliced potatoes, and Cana spat out her juice. "Bicks knocked you up already?!" the brunette shouted.

"I-I… No," Bickslow mumbled, his eyes going wide as the rest of Lucy's team turned their attention to him (not including Natsu), and when he locked eyes with Erza, he pushed his chair back on the tiled floor only slightly. He was convinced the scarlet-haired woman could do a hell of a lot of damage with just a butter knife, and he was suddenly realising just how close he was sitting to her, given that she was next to Gajeel and opposite Lucy. "It wasn't… me. I mean, it was, but… Oh, fuck this. This is too hard."

Lucy let out a light giggle as Bickslow dropped his face to his palm, shaking his head slightly. She knew that she'd be stuck having to explain it, but that was okay. She couldn't help but feel relieved to be getting it all out, regardless of everyone's opinions. "What he's trying to say is that it was this world's Bickslow, meaning the _us_ of this world… The babies would have been conceived just before we got here," she said, a light dusting on pink on her cheeks.

"So you two… aren't…?" Erza asked as she narrowed her eyes at the former Seith mage, only glancing to the blonde beside him.

"No," Lucy said.

"Not that that's anyone's business," Bickslow mumbled as he kept his head down.

There was a moment of awkward silence as everyone just stared at them, but there was nothing Lucy could do about it. She needed them to yell or freak out or ask something, just so she could answer or explain something. She had to but her anxiety down for the moment, because she knew that once it was all over, she'd be okay.

"Wait… Hang on…" Laxus suddenly said as Lucy turned to lift Ingrid into the high-chair just between herself and Bickslow, and then she turned to face him. His brow was furrowed as he stared down the table. "Did you just say _babies_?" He had to have misheard it.

Lucy smiled again. "Yup. Turns out it's twins," she giggled. "Found that out a few days ago, actually."

There was another round of gasping and choking, and that was from everyone on the table, excluding Mira. Bickslow only turned his head from where he had it in his palm when Gajeel began to pat his shoulder, a mischievous smirk on his lips as he looked to his friend.

"I'm sure it's just a food baby."

Everyone fell silent then as they all turned their attention to Natsu who was still feeding his face. He had barely stopped at all the entire time, and Lucy hadn't minded. Not until that moment, anyway. "Natsu, I can guarantee you that it is not a food baby," she said softly, glaring at her best friend who sat just across from her. She knew Bickslow had wanted to punch him, but now, she did.

Maybe it was the hormones that were making her crazy? Probably. She didn't care much.

"Probably is," Natsu mumbled as he shrugged, still barely looking up. "It's not like you've been doing anything these last few weeks."

Lucy sighed before she turned to Bickslow, who was stuck just glaring at the pink-haired idiot. She could feel her anger rising, and as everyone just stared in shock, trying to figure out if he was actually as dense as he seemed most of the time, she forced herself to remain calm. She was not going to cry. At all. "Bicks? Baby?" she whispered, grabbing his attention as she smiled softly at him.

She didn't even need to say anything else for Bickslow to figure out she was giving him permission to actually hit the guy, and that was enough to have Bickslow grinning and ignoring the sniggering from the former Dragon Slayer next to him, and the even more confused looks from those around them (after all, she'd pretty much just hinted that there was in fact something going on between them, not that he cared at all).

Quickly, though, he pushed his chair back on the tiled floor and got up. His long legs quickly had him closing the distance between himself and where Natsu sat between Gray and Erza, and with everyone's eyes on him, he quickly pulled Natsu's chair out with him on it. He'd seemed to only notice that Bickslow was behind him once his chair had been moved, and before he could question it, Bickslow's fist had hit the side of his jaw hard and sent him toppling over.

Erza tried her best to hide her smirk, as did Gray; Gajeel and Laxus did nothing in the way of hiding their amusement, with Laxus actually chuckling quietly.

"What the fuck?!" Natsu screamed as he scrambled up from the ground, rubbing his jaw and glaring at Bickslow.

But the former Seith mage ignored it, instead walking back around to his own chair. "Thanks for that," he mumbled, a smirk on his lips as he leaned over just enough to lightly kiss Lucy's cheek. He didn't care that more than half the people at the table were staring at him in shock still.

And neither did Lucy, though she did blush just a little bit. It was just something else she had to finish explaining, and she was perfectly fine with that. She knew for certain that her morning was far from done, and it was nowhere near being as stressful as it would be. "You're welcome."


	26. Chapter 26

Bickslow collapsed onto the lounge with a heavy sigh. "And once again, Ingrid is our saviour," he mumbled. And he meant it. If it hadn't been for the tiny human getting tired and on the verge of throwing a tantrum, then they would still be in Mira and Laxus' apartment with the rest of their psychotic friends. Needing to put their daughter down for her much needed nap was just a perfect reason for them to get the hell out of there.

"She really is," Lucy agreed as she sat down next to Bickslow on the lounge, only sighing quietly as she leant her head on his shoulder. A surprised laugh escaped her suddenly when he quickly wound an arm around her back to pull her down, leaving her sprawled on top of him on the lounge. The wide grin and the quiet chuckle coming from Bickslow were quickly lost as Lucy lowered her head to brush her lips against his. "The mighty Ingrid Theroux, our lord and saviour," she giggled when she pulled away, only resting her head against his shoulder once again as she slowly shifted to her side, wedging herself between the back of the lounge and Bickslow.

He chuckled again as he lifted his other hand to rest gently on her side below his other, slowly running down from her waist to her hip and brushing over the side of her belly, all with a soft smile on his face. _Ingrid Theroux…_ There were many things in that world that Bickslow was now used to, but his name belonging to not only himself, but to his daughter and to Lucy as well, was not one of those things. _And to think there'll be two more with my name by the end of the year…_ And if that wasn't a reason to actually like his surname, then he didn't know what would be.

"How's your hand?" Lucy asked quietly as a smirk tugged at her lips.

"It's fine," he laughed again. Sure, it was a little sore, but it was fine. He could deal with it. The pain was well worth it, in Bickslow's opinion. "But… To be honest, punching Natsu wasn't anywhere near as painful as everything else."

Lucy sighed as she buried her head against his chest. "I don't think painful does it justice," she mumbled. "I really didn't expect them to freak out as much as they did. I mean, I'm glad that everyone seemed to take the news about the pregnancy relatively well…"

"I wouldn't exactly call it _relatively well_."

"Well, it could have been worse. It wasn't like they all completely lost it and went overboard with trying to tell us that we shouldn't be doing it when we already have Ingrid…" And that's what Lucy had been worried about the most. Sure, no one had exactly just been outright happy for them – at least not right away – but neither had expected anyone to be. If anything, their friends had really just been surprisingly supportive of their decision. Bickslow and Lucy had honestly expected all hell to break loose, but it truly hadn't.

They'd only done their best to make sure they understood the situation they were in. That meant making sure that the former Seith and Celestial Spirit mages knew they were taking on a huge responsibility by having the twins when Ingrid was really only going to be a little over one-year-old by the time they were born, and that they were no doubt going to have their hands full – quite literally. They'd had to understand that they were absolutely certain that it was both what they wanted, and once they could see that the two were happy and excited about it all and what they were doing, everyone else was able to actually be happy for their friends.

Well, sort of. Bickslow and Lucy really hadn't expected them to be happy for them at all. Not in the slightest. But they were, and it made them incredibly glad that their – for the most part – less than civil and mostly not understanding friends had been, well… Understanding and supportive.

They weren't going to question it though. They weren't going to question why their friends had surprised them in such a way, hadn't lectured them or tried to convince them they were doing the wrong thing.

"But… I'd been hoping they'd take the news about us just a little bit better," Lucy mumbled. "I mean, really, I'd have thought they'd freak out about the babies more than they did us being together."

And boy, did they freak out. They completely lost it, actually, and that's what they _were_ questioning.

Of all things, their former teams and friends were more shocked about the fact that they were actually together and in an actual relationship than they were about them having twins. That was really the painful part about it all and where everyone had started freaking out. But Bickslow and Lucy didn't really think it was that surprising. They lived with each other and spent a lot of time together every single day. They'd learnt more about each other in the space of two months than they had in all the time they'd known each other in the guild. They had a damn child together – and two more on the way – and it had been almost inevitable that they'd get closer. And then of course there was the entire thing where they were married in that world, so somehow, they worked together.

But nope, everyone was stuck on the fact that it was just too damn weird and were entirely convinced that whatever it was they had wouldn't actually last. Well, that's what most of them believed. There were a few people who were seemingly fine with it and didn't question how two seemingly polar opposites could work so well (although the answer was literally right there).

Laxus, for one, had been too busy trying to wrap his head around the fact that they were having not one, but two more babies. Plus, he knew how Bickslow felt so he just didn't really care or find it all that surprising. At least not any more than he already did.

Mira, on the other hand, was really just ecstatic. She was really just far too happy about the fact that the two had made something out of a truly strange situation and were at a point where people were finding out.

Then Gajeel and Levy… Well, they were mostly just too busy trying to look after their own children to care all too much, though they both still knew that there had been something going on between the two former mages.

It was really just everyone else who had taken the news less than brilliantly, with – not surprisingly – Lucy's team being being just a little terrifying for a few brief moments. Especially when it came to Erza and Cana taking far too much of an interest into their non-existent sex life. And course, it came to both of their discomfort that the two seemed to press the issue of whether or not they were actually sleeping together. Besides, even if they were sleeping together – and not just in the same bed – it wouldn't be something that the two would talk about. Especially not Lucy, at least.

At that point, they'd really just been far too glad that Ingrid was on the verge of throwing a tantrum and they'd had a reason to get the hell away from their teams, friends, and their annoying, way too personal, and just downright uncomfortable questions. Not to mention the lecturing, the yelling, and the more than depressing reminder about what would happen if things didn't work out between them when they had three children together.

They were well aware of how awkward things would be between them if they didn't end up working in the long run (not that they'd ever actually talked about it with each other). But… They were hopeful and they were optimistic about things going well. Of course, it probably had a lot to do with the fact they were in love with each other, not that they were aware of the other's feelings.

"Yeah, well… I didn't quite expect all of it either," Bickslow sighed. "But at least they know now. That's good, right?"

"It is. It's very good, actually. Do you know why?"

He lifted his head as Lucy lifted her own just to look up at him with a bright smile. Pulling one of the cushions from the corner of the lounge, he put it behind his head and his own lips pulled up into a wide grin. "Um… Because you got to finally see me punch your best friend for calling you fat?"

"No," she laughed. Though it really had been fun to watch. Incredibly. "Because one, I can wear whatever the hell I want to now and not worry about people finding out. Not that I can really hide it very well anymore anyway."

"Well… For the record… I really don't mind what you wear… Or if you wear anything at all, really." Her cheeks became flushed at his comment and Bickslow couldn't help but let out a short howl of laughter. Yeah, he wouldn't mind if she decided to wear nothing at all one day. He wouldn't mind at all. "What's two?"

She shook her head as her own quiet laugh slipped out. "Two, since I can finally leave the house and everyone knows about us and the twins… You…" Lucy paused as she lightly walked her fingers across his chest and up towards the collar of his t-shirt, and as she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his, she said, "Can finally take me on a date."

"A date, huh?" She nodded. "Well, I think a date can definitely be arranged." Bickslow had thought about it a few times, because yeah, he really did owe her a date of some sort. But with Lucy having to rest, and her health – and the babies' health – having been the main concern for the last few weeks, taking her out on a date hadn't been his priority.

It wasn't like Lucy was all that worried about a date though. She just thought that it would be nice to be able to actually go on a date – her _first_ date – with her boyfriend-slash-partner-in-crime. But still, she wasn't particularly that fussed if they went out at all. They were already dating without the actual dating part of it, but a romantic evening alone really just seemed quite wonderful.

It wasn't like their relationship was all that conventional to begin with though, so if she got that romantic evening and Ingrid was brought along, then that would be fine too. They were parents primarily, so if they were joined by their infant daughter on their first actual date, well yeah, it would still be great in all honesty. Lucy was inclined to believe 'the more the merrier' when it came to her family those days.

"I hope so," she giggled before craning her neck and pressing their lips together once again. She'd been sure that kissing Bickslow would become a very bad habit if she'd been allowed to keep doing it. And sure enough, she had been right. Even with just their lips moving over one another, slowly and tenderly, Lucy was way past addicted, and that was without that almost sinfully skilled tongue of his. Of course, Bickslow had made it known on multiple occasions that he can do more with his tongue that she knows, just because he loved teasing her far too much. It didn't help that he would love to show her just what he could do with his tongue, but… Nope, it was just teasing for now, and they were both more than fine with that. Surprisingly. "But… Going back to Natsu calling me fat… Twice," she said quietly when she lowered her head to rest on his shoulder again.

"You know he didn't mean it, Cosplayer."

She smiled softly though sadly. "I know, but… You do realise I'm just going to get a lot bigger, right? Like, I'm going to end up being the size of a beached whale."

"Oh, who even cares?"

"W-Well, I do. I mean, I know there's nothing I can do about it and all, but I really am going to be huge…" It was a little distressing to Lucy that her body was one of the many things changing that worried her the most. She really did know that there was nothing she could do to avoid it – she was having twins for fuck's sake so she really was bound to get a lot bigger – she couldn't help but dread it just a tiny bit. Just because it was another huge adjustment… Literally.

The fact that not even three months earlier she'd never once expected to one, fall in love with Bickslow far too quickly, two, have a daughter with him, and three, have two more children on the way with him, all of which had really come unexpectedly, still completely blew her mind sometimes. But just because they had all surprised her, just as much as waking up in a completely different world had, it didn't mean she didn't love them and wasn't completely overjoyed by everything. Because she truly was. They were all just things she'd needed to adjust to, and she knew getting a lot bigger was one of those – and oh, had she accepted it.

She was just… A little scared. And a little self-conscious. Or a lot.

"I don't care though," he said. He only adjusted his head on the small cushion enough to make himself comfortable again, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he wound his arms just a little bit tighter around her. "If anyone dares comment on you getting bigger because you're _pregnant_ _with_ _twins_ , I will personally tell them to go fuck themselves and knock them the fuck out. And, if I really have to, just to prove to you that you have no reason to worry about it…" Because Bickslow knew that she was worried about the fact she was going to get bigger. He knew that very well. "I will remind you every single day that you're beautiful." _Hey… That's not a bad idea… I think I'll do that anyway._

Lucy sighed as she closed her eyes with a soft smile on her lips. "You know, if the other Bickslow was anywhere near being as much of a sweet idiot as you are, then I can totally see why the other me would have fallen for you," she whispered. She wasn't exactly going to bring up the fact that it probably had something to do with her actually falling for Bickslow. Way too quickly at that.

"Well maybe that's how I'll get you to fall for me too?" _Oh… Fuck… Damn it, dude! Why the fuck did I say that?_ Maybe it was wishful thinking that had him cursing his mouth, because hell, it would be pretty amazing if Lucy fell in love with him. He was hopeful that it would happen eventually, but… Until she did, and if she did, he couldn't exactly go talking about how exactly to get her to fall for him. Nope, that was just a terrible idea. He wasn't going to sabotage his relationship with her that quickly.

When he lifted his head to look down at her, just to see what kind of reaction he'd gotten out of her, his brows pulled together when he saw her eyes closed and only a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. Bickslow had almost expected her to splutter something in her embarrassment, not for her to be… Falling asleep. Or just making herself extremely comfortable on him. Not that he really minded, because as long as she didn't seem to mind his stupid words, then he was fine. He cleared his throat quietly with a small smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth, and said, "You good there?"

"Very," Lucy murmured with a lazy smile. "I'm tired and you're comfortable." And she was always tired those days. Hell, she was almost jealous of Ingrid's nap time.

"Well…"

"Don't even say it."

"Oh, come on. That's not fair," Bickslow whined, leaning back into the pillow again, and Lucy could feel the chuckle than ran through his chest.

She sighed after a moment, and she kept her eyes closed. She didn't need to look up to know that he was grinning like a fool – probably with his tongue out for good measure. "If I let you say it, will you let me stay here?"

"Oh baby, you can be on me as long as you like." He only stopped laughing when she pressed her fingers in his side, just under his ribs. And just like Lucy hadn't needed to look up to know that he really had had his outrageously wide grin on his face the entire time, he didn't need to look down to see that she was probably blushing furiously. "Alright, alright… I just had to get that one in there." And oh, did he. For the most part, he dialed back on everything that wasn't mostly innocent (or innocent enough for where they were currently at). But occasionally, he really did have to just say things like that… Especially when Lucy basically handed them to him.

"Now will you be quiet and let me sleep?"

He sighed as he wound his arms around her just that little bit tighter again, and making himself comfortable on the lounge under her with her lifting her head just enough to nestle in against the crook of his neck instead, he whispered, "Yeah, you can sleep." It wasn't exactly like Bickslow had anything better to do with his time than cuddle with his girlfriend on the lounge, so yeah, she could sleep. And he would too. Well, he'd try to.

At the very least he'll just enjoy it. A lot.

* * *

"Bicks… Someone's at the door," Lucy mumbled as she held her eyes closed and did her best to bury her face against Bickslow, continuing to let his far too intoxicating scent fill her nose. Whatever it was he wore, she loved it. Like, far too much.

"And just what do you want me to do about it?" he mumbled in response.

She sighed as Bickslow's arms continued to keep her wedged in the space between the back of the lounge and himself, and he shifted ever so slightly. She was seriously too comfortable there, and if it hadn't been for the knock on the door, she wouldn't even be awake at all. She didn't want to be awake; she didn't _need_ to be awake. Ingrid was still asleep – or so she hoped – and it was the weekend. Couldn't a girl just snuggle with her boyfriend on the couch for a little while and get just a little rest?

Several sharp raps on the wooden door interrupted the silence again. Apparently not.

"You could get the door and tell them to go away," she suggested.

A huff of laughter escaped and Lucy could feel his breath fanning across the top of her head and through her hair. "You get the door."

"Nuh-uh. I'm not moving."

"Well I can't move unless you move."

 _Oh… Right… I'm kind of laying on him._ "Do you think they'll go away if we just ignore it?" she asked.

Bickslow sighed as he finally opened his eyes and looked down at the blonde. "I doubt it." And just to further his point, there was another impatient knock on their door, just like the one that had pulled Lucy from her sleep and stopped Bickslow from finally getting there. "Do you know if the door is locked?"

"I don't think it is," Lucy mumbled.

He tipped his head back into the pillow to look back towards the top of the door, and called out, "It's open. Maybe." He hadn't been able to think of a better option, not when he was sure ignoring whoever it was was going to be a waste of time and neither of them had any intentions of moving.

Bickslow's eyes remained trained on the door once it opened after just another moment, and Lucy lifted her own head hesitantly to look to the door and slowly lift a hand to rub at her eyes. When she saw her team walking through the door, she could only smile awkwardly along with Bickslow at the three former mages looking down at them.

"Are we um… Interrupting something?" Erza asked as she cleared her throat.

"Yes. Sleep," Bickslow muttered. _Oh, if only closing my eyes would make them go away…_

Lucy sighed as she finally sat up and reluctantly disentangled herself from Bickslow. "Oh, shut up, Bicks," she whispered when she nudged his side to make him let go of her. "Go check on Ingrid."

"She's probably still asleep." He sat up and ran a hand through his hair once Lucy got off him and slowly padded around to the kitchen, and he looked down to his watch on his wrist. _Damn it. That was a short hour._ "But fine."

Lucy turned her attention to her team once Bickslow slowly disappeared down the hall and into the nursery, and she smiled at her more than uncomfortable looking team like nothing was wrong. Not that anything was wrong, of course. Her team finding her curled up on the lounge with her boyfriend was fine, and at the very least, they were just going to have to get used to it. She pulled a bottle of water from the fridge before she slowly walked back to the lounge, and asked, "So, what's up?"

"Uh… Well… We just wanted to come round and apologise again," Erza said quietly. "At the very least, Natsu needs to apologise again."

"It's fine," Lucy laughed. "No one needs to apologise for anything."

"Well, I'm personally all for Natsu saying sorry again," Bickslow chimed in as he came back down the hall with Ingrid in one arm. His lips pulled up into a smirk as he looked to Natsu specifically, and said, "I'm also all for punching you in the face again."

Natsu folded his arms across his chest with a scowl on his face as he sunk down into the lounge next to the snickering Gray. The fact that Bickslow's fist had actually hurt – just a little bit – was something that Natsu hated. It didn't help that he still didn't quite understand just what had warranted the guy to punch him in the first place. Not really, anyway. "I don't get why you punched me in the first place…" Natsu muttered scornfully as his onyx eyes slowly followed Happy as he quickly bound across the lounge, only to jump up onto Lucy and curl up on her lap once she sat down again.

"Because you insulted your best friend and his girlfriend twice, you moron," Gray answered before Bickslow could even try.

Bickslow shrugged as he sat Ingrid down in the highchair. "Exactly what he said, actually." In Bickslow's head, it really had been perfectly logical for him to punch Natsu. Or at least really want to (well, the first time, anyway). He was Lucy's best friend and he made her cry. Unintentionally at that, but it still counted since he hadn't even really known that his words that actually been quite hurtful. So yeah, when his girlfriend's best friend was being a terrible person, the guy was gonna get fucking punched.

"It's fine. Really," Lucy said again as she slowly stroked her fingers through the blue fur of the purring cat on her lap. "Natsu, you have nothing to apologise for. I promise. You didn't know, so it wasn't your fault, okay?" She smiled softly at her friend and waited for the scowl on his face to lessen some before she said, "But… If you call me fat again, Bickslow isn't going to be the one to punch you." Hell, she'd fucking kick her best friend through the door if he made any comments about her weight or shape or anything. Bickslow couldn't have all the fun, and she'd really only let him do it in the first place because she knew how much he'd really wanted to inflict some pain on the former Dragon Slayer.

Natsu flashed his brilliant grin at the blonde. "Don't worry, Luce. I won't call you fat again." There was a collective sigh from both Gray and Bickslow before the former Ice Make mage elbowed Natsu in the side, and his grin turned apologetic as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and quietly said, "I am sorry for making you cry the last time we came over, though."

Lucy blinked in surprise as her brow furrowed slightly in her confusion, and her head tilted slightly. The fact that she honestly could not remember her team visiting was making her panic just a little bit. Lucy was used to forgetting small things here and there, like small details, but something like her best friend making her cry? Now that was new.

With her silence and her team's growing confusion from it, Bickslow looked up from where he sat at the table with a smirk. _She totally doesn't remember. Wow._ "It was the weekend before last, Cosplayer," he said carefully while lifting up the small spoon from the bowl with the pureed strawberries (the only form of strawberries in their entire apartment after Lucy decided she couldn't be near them). As Lucy remained silent, only ducking her head as her embarrassment over forgetting became more apparent, and as her team remained silent, thankfully, he continued, "They wanted to take you to see Cana's bar. And Gajeel was here too. Avoiding Levy, actually."

"Was that the day I…" She could remember Gajeel coming over, and she could remember something about her team visiting, but those weren't what she could remember in perfect detail. No, she could remember being a complete fucking mess, because to that day, that had been her worst. First it had been crying about the goddamn strawberries making her nauseous, and then it had been about Ingrid getting older. And then… "Oh! I remember now!" Lucy could most definitely remember crying because of Natsu, and, curling up in a ball with the covers over her head.

"Did you really forget?" Gray asked with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Yeah," Lucy laughed nervously. "It happens occasionally."

Erza cleared her throat as she got up from where she sat at the table opposite Bickslow. Her concerned gaze met Lucy's when she looked up, and she said, "Lucy… I know that you and Bickslow have had quite a bit to deal with lately, but… I do wish you'd have told us earlier." She sat down on the lounge next to the blonde as her lips turned down into a small frown. "We're still a team, even here, and I get the feeling that you finding out that you were pregnant had something to do with you avoiding us."

The former Requip mage did understand that it was something that really did only concern herself and Bickslow, since after all, it was their family and their lives. But… Erza did wish that Lucy had come to them sooner with her actually quite exciting news. Lucy was one of her closest friends, and she truly did support her and was happy for her (and Bickslow), because she trusted her judgement. It was obvious to her that Bickslow and Lucy had known about it for quite some time, and she truly did get that the two would have needed their privacy as they decided how to cope with the unexpected addition to their small and slightly weird and dysfunctional family, but Erza couldn't help but wonder why Lucy had found it necessary to actively avoid her closest friends.

Was it because she didn't trust them? Or was it because it had taken them to that point to decide what they had wanted to do? Erza just didn't know. They were a team, always, and that meant they were there for each other with everything.

"Yeah, you could have told us earlier," Gray agreed.

Lucy looked down to her lap with a sigh as she continued to stroke the purring cat that was curling up against her stomach as she sat back. "I know I could have," she whispered. "I just couldn't tell you. Not until today." Of course, Lucy really hadn't wanted to tell her team right away, and Bickslow had understood that. They'd had a lot to deal with in those first few days where they just hadn't known or even discussed what they had been going to do.

But then her health and the babies' health had been an issue, and she really hadn't been able to tell anyone else, other than the few who really did need to know. And unfortunately, her team hadn't been on that list of people who had needed to know. It wasn't like Lucy didn't want to tell her team earlier though, because part of her had. It had truly sucked not seeing her team, but she had dealt with it because she'd been trying her best to take things easy and get used to the idea of actually being pregnant. Not to mention the loss of confidence that came with it.

And really, Lucy was honestly thrilled that her team seemed to be happy for her and Bickslow. But… To know that they were hurt that they hadn't found out until that morning, more than a month after finding out, well… It hurt Lucy too, and it made her feel guilty.

"How come?" Erza asked quietly.

"Well… Because up until a few days ago, we weren't actually sure if everything was okay, and we didn't want to tell anyone just in case…" she trailed off into silence when that almost crippling fear made itself known again. Even just the thought of losing her children – and Lucy knew very well that it was still very unlikely, and there was even less of a chance right then – had her unable to do anything but look down at Happy who was looking back up at her with strangely worried feline eyes and with his head resting on her belly.

She knew that her friends truly deserved an explanation for everything, but… She just couldn't do it. And Bickslow could see that. "Do you want me to tell them?" he asked, and she nodded slowly. "How much?" It wasn't as if Bickslow had a problem with having to explain it for Lucy, because he knew that the entire thing had been more stressful and frightening for her than it had been for him. He just needed to know how much to say, because the last thing he needed was to say too much to her team and have it hurt Lucy. Just the memory and the same fear that they'd had not that long ago was something Lucy needed to let go of, just so she could truly enjoy what she was doing.

"All of it…" Lucy whispered, much to the confusion of her silent friends. They deserved to know all of what had happened. And maybe, just maybe, having her team know just that little bit more about the situation would help her put her worry behind her. Maybe it would help her remember that she was fine and there was nothing to worry about at all. She could hope, at least.

Bickslow sighed when everyone but Lucy turned to look at him _. Alright… How to do this…_ "So… A couple of weeks after we found out, so it was few weeks ago now, something… happened." He barely gave anyone a chance to ask what it was that had happened before he went on, only while glancing towards Lucy to see the way her face, though he could only see half of it, had not a single bit of happiness etched on it as she looked down. "We ended up having to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, because… Well… There was um… a lot of blood."

Erza suddenly turned back to Lucy as Gray whispered in Natsu's ear, explaining that it most definitely was not just because she was of the opposite gender. "Lucy…" Erza said softly as she reached out to place her hand on the blonde's arm. She couldn't begin to fathom how the two would have felt then, and especially not how Lucy did.

"So, you know… We both assume that it was because Lucy was losing the baby…"

"Wait, I thought it was twins?' Gray asked suddenly.

"We didn't know it was twins until Wednesday," Lucy answered quietly as she kept her head down.

Erza turned to look back to Bickslow then as she began to rub small circles on Lucy's back. "Weren't you still in Crocus with Laxus on Wednesday?"

Bickslow nodded. "I was. I got back really late that night though," he said. "But anyway. We found out it was a relatively common complication in the first trimester, but it was still fucking scary. So, at the time, the baby was actually fine." Because then, they'd still only thought it was the one, and not the two.

Bickslow took a breath when he gave Ingrid another small spoonful of the fruit. "But… Lucy had to heal and take care of herself because otherwise it would put the baby – well, technically babies – at risk and things could have gotten worse. So she had to rest until we were sure everything was fine and was in the clear again, and that wasn't until the scan on Wednesday, which is why you all found out today."

Erza looked back to Lucy once Bickslow got up from the table and went over to the sink. She sat forward and turned slightly just enough to pull the quiet blonde into her arms, and she smiled softly with her chin on her shoulder. Erza could understand why they hadn't found out, and yeah, she still wished she had known sooner. Much like Gray and Natsu wished, because after all, they were all still a team and each other's closest friends – but she could see why they'd kept it to themselves. It had obviously been a stressful time, and the two had obviously needed to deal with it on their own and wait for the right time.

"So… The only reason you didn't want to see us was because you were worried about something bad happening?" Erza asked softly.

Lucy nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah, sorry…" she whispered. "That, and I was a little worried you'd find out on your own. The only reason I really kept it hidden this long was because I wasn't allowed to leave." Her eyes flicked towards Bickslow as her lips pulled up into a small smirk. "Because _someone_ put me on house arrest."

"One, doctor's orders and you damn well know it," Bickslow scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "And two, most people are usually happy about spending time with their boyfriend."

She let out a quiet laugh when she looked back down to Happy with a soft smile and began to stroke the fluffy tail, only for him to purr in delight. "But, yeah… I wasn't really avoiding you intentionally. I just wanted to make sure that everything was still okay, and it was just easier to stay here and take things easy for a little while, instead of trying to explain why I couldn't go anywhere, without telling you that I was pregnant, so…"

"It's okay. We get it now," Erza smiled softly. She turned to look back up to Bickslow when he came to stand just by the lounge. "Am I right in assuming this is why Laxus gave you time off work?"

Bickslow nodded. "Yup. He knew enough to understand and let me stay here to look after Ingrid and Lucy. I'm going back on Monday though," he sighed. _Unfortunately…_

"Makes sense," Erza shrugged as she looked back to Lucy with another smile. "But if Bickslow is coming back to work, then that means things are truly fine for you, right?" she asked.

"I still have to take things easy and make sure I'm looking after myself, but yeah, things are okay now. Two very happy and healthy babies," Lucy beamed. "Both of which," she began as she looked up to Bickslow, "We are very, _very_ happy about, and excited to meet." And that was the important part. They really were looking forward to when they were actually born – Lucy more than Bickslow because she was sure she was really just going to be looking forward to getting them the hell out of her by the time she was much further along.

In a way, she knew it didn't really matter what everyone else thought. It was just a bonus that no one seemed to be against it. All that mattered was that they were happy, because after all, they were their children and it was their family. And that, was what truly made them happy.

"Well, if you're happy, then we're happy," Erza said before she quickly pulled Lucy in again, much to her surprise when she found the side of her face pressed against the scarlet-haired woman's ample chest. "And you better have more beautiful girls like Ingrid."

"No. She has to have boys," Bickslow whined.

Gray and Natsu quickly got up from the lounge to pile on top of the suddenly laughing blonde, and quickly, their living room turned loud and slightly chaotic as they all began to argue about whether or not Lucy was having boys or girls. Of course, Bickslow took great delight in the fact that both Gray and Natsu agreed that their little family needed to be blessed with boys, rather than girls that time.

But still, if they did end up being girls, Bickslow really wouldn't care. Not one bit. And neither would Lucy.

* * *

Lucy looked up from her book and lifted her head slightly to look towards the hall when she heard the front door close, and a quiet sigh escaped her lips as she reached to the nightstand behind her to grab the bookmark and place it between the pages.

"Enjoy yourself?" she asked as Bickslow stumbled into the room, leaving the dark hall behind him.

He shook his head as he collapsed forward and onto the bed. "I should really stop drinking with Gajeel. Should've learnt from the first time," he mumbled with his face pressed into the slightly messed up blankets. It really wasn't that he hadn't had a good night, because he had. Drinking with one of his best friends at Cana's bar that was thankfully just on the next street had been great, because those days, he really didn't have the time to do much. Not that he minded, of course, because he'd choose his seven-month-old over drinking any day.

But sometimes, it was nice to just let loose, and after the morning they'd had that had truly been far more stressful than it should have been, Bickslow had needed it. Besides, Levy was getting sick of Gajeel being around all the time and had wanted just one night with her own twins, and Lucy was almost more than glad to have Bickslow out for a few hours. She loved the guy, but she was definitely glad about Bickslow going back to work in just one more day, even if she was also definitely going to have to get used to him not being there every day.

The only problem was that when Bickslow drank, he tended to say some very, very stupid things, and he was sure he'd told Gajeel a few certain things he definitely shouldn't have. Specifically, it might have been brought up that he cared about Lucy just a little (or a lot) more than everyone but Laxus knew. And that was definitely not a good thing. It wasn't like Gajeel wasn't good at keeping secrets, because in all honesty, the guy knew far too many for his own good. It was just the kind of thing Bickslow wasn't exactly going to blurt out to people.

It was because of that Bickslow was on the verge of choosing not to drink again. Or at least with Gajeel. Or at least until he had no secrets. It wouldn't be that bad. Spend his free time sober with Lucy and Ingrid. That's basically what he did anyway, and really, he wouldn't have things any other way.

As Bickslow crawled up on the bed and towards his pillows, only kicking his shoes off towards the floor without moving too much, Lucy sighed again and frowned slightly at the former Seith mage. "You need to go have a shower, Bickslow," she said softly.

He grinned into the pillow when he reached it. "Only if you join me."

"Not today," she sighed. One of those days, she was truly going to take him up on those offers to join him in the shower. But… It really wasn't that day.

"Tomorrow then?'

Lucy rolled her eyes as a blush crept up on her cheeks and pushed the blue-and-black haired man away when he sluggishly sat up and got far too close to Lucy for comfort, and of course, with his tongue-lolling grin plastered on his face. "Just go shower already," she muttered when he finally crawled over her to get to the edge of the bed closest to the door. "Alone."

"But showering alone is no fun," he whined.

She shook her head as she opened up her book again, but glancing up before Bickslow could close the bathroom door behind himself, she called, "Clothes." Because if Bickslow didn't take his clothes in with him, then he would be coming out in a towel, and despite still believing that he was almost far too attractive to be a father (the reminder that he was going to have three kids before he was twenty-eight, though he'd still only feel like he was twenty-three, was just another thing that completely blew her mind – and that she really probably could stare at Bickslow in nothing but a towel for far too long), the last thing she needed was a half naked ex-Seith mage of a boyfriend in her bedroom. Well, their bedroom, technically. And drunk at that. And especially not when there was a tiny part of Lucy that really would love to see him without a towel… Or anything, for that matter.

But no. That wasn't going to be that night. Soon, maybe. Hopefully, actually. Because she was honestly convinced the next nearly three weeks for her were going to be more than a little uncomfortable for herself. She just wasn't going to tell Bickslow that. Not yet, anyway.

"Right, clothes," Bickslow muttered as he quickly spun on his heels to quickly go over to his side of the wardrobe, only barely managing to stay on his feet after almost tripping on his shoes. "You know, if you'd just join me in the shower already, the entire clothes thing wouldn't be as much of an issue." He turned around to pull his shirt off over his head as he shrugged, before throwing it towards the washing basket (not caring that it didn't actually land anywhere near it, of course), and slowly walking back over to the bathroom completely aware that Lucy's eyes were following him as he kept the smirk on his face. "I mean, I'd be naked… You'd be naked… It's a win for everyone, really."

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Lucy couldn't help but sigh in relief as she slid down the bed to stare up at the ceiling. She really didn't know just what it was with Bickslow, but she had come to learn that he had a strange tendency to ask her to join him in the shower when he was drunk. And it really was only when he was drunk. Well, apart from that one time when he'd been sober, but other than that, he had to be intoxicated to blatantly flirt with her like that. Sure, Lucy knew she probably deserved it considering every single time, she'd also just happened to tell him to go and get in the damn shower. But it was really just because she didn't enjoy dealing with him with he was hungover. He whined and he slept a lot, and he was less than pleasant to be around for the most part. When he showered and got some rest, he was at least bearable.

He came back out a little while later, shrugging the shirt on over his head before he pushed the sleeves up to his elbows and climbed on to his side of the bed. Lucy giggled when he instantly snuggled up to her side. Not only did he get incredibly flirty when he was drunk, but he also liked to cuddle. Well, a lot more than usual. Not that Lucy minded that part of it though, since they did that anyway.

Except when he moved down like he usually did, resting his head on her belly and wrapping his arms around her waist as best as he could, she tried to sit up slightly and push him off. "Bicks, come on," she laughed, threading her fingers through his soaked hair that was completely soaking through her shirt. "You're making me all wet."

He snickered as he sat up slightly. "Damn right I am."

"O-Oh my god… N-Not like that, you idiot!" she spluttered, tucking her feet in when he crawled over her once again to head for the dark bathroom. _Nice one, Lucy. You're really just handing them to him at this point._ "I meant your hair… A-And my shirt… And oh god I'll just stop talking." If she could curl up into a ball and hide under the blankets, she would.

Bickslow came back out laughing as he ran the towel over his head and through his hair. "Don't worry, Cosplayer. I won't tell anyone that I turn you on." He threw the towel to the chest at the foot of the bed once he was sure it wasn't completely dripping wet, letting his hair fall across his forehead before he once again climbed over the blonde to be where he had been before. A tired sigh escaped him once he'd closed his eyes, and instead he focused on enjoying the feel of her breathing slowly just beneath him.

That was what Bickslow liked most about doing that. Not because he was close to the babies, which he did also enjoy immensely, but it was because he was close to Lucy. He just liked being able to be near her. To hold her and just enjoy the quiet, peaceful moments. And he knew Lucy didn't mind it. If anything, she enjoyed those moments just as much as he did.

Every night, it's what they did. Bickslow would use her as a human pillow, enjoy being close to her and talk to her belly to remind the babies to stay happy and healthy, and Lucy would sit there with her hand running through his hair and call him a dork. Of course, it was a lot more fun when Bickslow was at a work and they could talk about their days before they finally went to bed, but they would still find things to talk about regardless.

Or sometimes they'd just stay silent. It didn't really matter all that much to them.

"You know what I really miss sometimes?" Bickslow murmured as he shifted his head ever so slightly. "Magic."

Lucy frowned down at him. "So do I," she whispered. "I miss my spirits." And she did. A lot. But she also knew there was nothing she could do about it, because in that world, magic just didn't exist.

"I miss my babies. Well, I miss souls, actually. Souls are great. I used to wish more people could see the beauty of souls, but at the same time I didn't, because Seith magic is really terrible sometimes," he sighed. "Especially to grow up with it. Kinda sucks that it's a mostly genetic thing."

She sat in silence for a few short moments, only slowly combing her fingers through the damp hair, and looking down at him in concern. She knew he got a little flirty and a little pervy when he was drunk, and she knew he got incredibly cuddly… But she didn't know he got just a little bit too honest. But he was talking about his magic, and Lucy was suddenly very intrigued. She knew nothing about it, and she really did want to know more. She didn't see the harm in asking about it, given that he was obviously somewhat willing to talk about it considering he'd brought it up (despite being intoxicated). There was no magic in that world after all, so really, what would be the issue in finding out more about Seith magic?

"Hey, Bicks…" she said softly. "Do you remember a while ago when I asked you what type of magic Ingrid would use if we were in our old world? And you said it would be Seith because she has your eyes?"

"Vaguely," he mumbled.

"Okay… So… How is that? I mean, is it because of the colour or—"

"The rings," Bickslow cut her off suddenly, keeping his eyes closed with a tired sigh. "The colour is irrelevant. Seith mages – well, human possession ones anyway – have these circles in the iris. Usually just a little bit darker than whatever colour their eyes are. Ingrid's are exactly like mine, so yeah, she would've got the entire Seith thing from me unfortunately if we could still use magic."

She frowned again when she began to worry about just why Bickslow was so negative when it came to his magic. Or, more importantly, Ingrid being born a Seith mage if they were still in a world with magic. Lucy realised that she wouldn't actually have any problems with Ingrid having Bickslow's magic. Hell, she'd have no problems if the twins ended up having Bickslow's magic too. You know, assuming that they could even use magic in that world. But if they could, Lucy just didn't think there would be any reason for her not to like the idea of having three gorgeous Seith mages as children. She just didn't understand how Bickslow could think the opposite, or at least that's what it seemed like.

She wanted to know why though, because she still wanted to know more about his magic. Maybe if she knew more about Seith magic, maybe she'd be able to understand why he seemed so set on his own magic being such a terrible thing sometimes. Especially when it came to growing up with it.

But Lucy would get to that. First, she wanted to know more about the eyes she truly did love so much. "So does that mean Ingrid's eyes would turn green like yours did?" she asked. She could remember Bickslow's eyes turning a bright green the one time she had seen him use his magic. Well, his Figure Eyes, at least. But honestly, it wouldn't surprise Lucy in the least if she'd gotten it wrong. After all, the one time she'd seen Bickslow use that part of his magic, she'd been too busy trying _not_ to look at him and keep her eyes closed. She just really thought they were green.

"Not necessarily," Bickslow said quietly. He lifted his head just enough to push the damp fabric of Lucy's shirt up and out of the way before going back to resting his head on her stomach and closing his eyes. "Depends on the colour of her soul."

"Souls have different colours?"

"Different colours for different types of people. Some are rarer than others, and it's usually the rarer the type, the more beautiful," he mumbled. "I doubt Ingrid's would be like mine. Probably end up being like yours, if anything. Really sucks not being able to tell though."

She looked down as a soft smile graced her lips. "Like mine, huh? So what colour would that be?"

Bickslow's eyes suddenly shot open as his brows drew together. "You know… I really have no idea," he mumbled. And he really had no clue. If Ingrid's soul was anything like Lucy's soul, which Bickslow seriously suspected to be the case, then her eyes could end up being any number of colours. Because unlike the typical person, Lucy's soul was not just one colour. If anything, the fact that Lucy's soul seemed to be one of a kind was what made it all the more appealing to Bickslow, because after all, he did really love souls.

The thing with Lucy's soul was that it was white. But even though white souls in itself were rare, that wasn't what had always intrigued Bickslow the most. No, it was what was at the very centre of her soul what did that, and it was why Bickslow was so confused. Because right in the centre, and right next to her heart, was not a single coloured orb, but instead, one that softly glowed with almost every colour of the rainbow. It always reminded Bickslow of a precious gem, the way it shone and the way the colours swirled and flowed together.

It was that very reason Bickslow had no idea what colour Ingrid's eyes would end up being if she could use magic, because if her own soul really was anything like Lucy's, then it could be any colour imaginable.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy laughed.

"It means your soul is really weird," Bickslow said slowly. "Like, weird in a good way, because it's special, and because your soul is kind of more beautiful than you, and that's really saying something. I just mean that there's a lot more than one colour to yours, and if Ingrid's is anything even close to yours, then her eyes could end up being any colour."

Lucy leant back against the pillow to make herself slightly more comfortable once Bickslow closed his eyes again. She still really knew nothing about souls themselves, but she really couldn't help but find it flattering to know that her own soul was special. Well, at least she thought it was something to be flattered about, unless Bickslow was just complimenting her because he could. Which, he did a lot. Not that Lucy minded all that much.

When her back began to ache from the position she was sitting up in, she reached out to switch off the lamp on the nightstand, leaving the room in almost complete darkness, apart from the small amount of light coming in from the window behind the chair. "Alright, come on. I'm getting uncomfortable," she said, tapping Bickslow's shoulder gently to get him to move. He moved away with a groan to let Lucy get comfortable, only dropping his own head to his pillow. "I didn't mean you had to stop. I just wanted to get comfortable again," Lucy laughed once she'd finished getting comfortable, barely lying on her side and facing Bickslow again.

He lifted his head again with a wide grin on his face, and an arm reached out to wrap around her as he pulled himself forward. "Good," he murmured as he let his lips brush across her cheek. "'Cause you're comfortable. And really warm." And Bickslow really loved that she was warm and cuddly and soft and comfortable. And also his. Yeah, he loved that a lot.

So slowly, moving his hand down to her hip, he slid down the bed once again, only dragging his head down over her body just as slowly, and making the blonde's face turn a flattering shade of red when his face was briefly pressed between her breasts. Too long, if you asked Lucy, but definitely not long enough if you asked Bickslow. _Definitely too brief…_

A contented sigh escaped him once again as he found his legs tangling up with hers and curling around her slightly. Her fingers threading through his hair, the slight rise and fall of her stomach with each quiet breath, and the realisation that by the end of the year, he wouldn't just be resting his head on Lucy's belly to be close to the twins, but he'd actually be able to hold them in his arms just like he did Ingrid. All of that made Bickslow happy – and excited as all hell. So much so that he was nearly nervous. But happy nonetheless.

"You know why else I miss not being able to see souls anymore?" he murmured as he lifted his head just enough to lightly kiss her belly.

"Why don't you tell me?" she asked quietly, a soft smile on her lips as she kept her eyes closed. Now that she was lying down and incredibly comfortable, she was finding it hard to stay awake.

"Because if I could still see souls, I would have been able to tell you the babies were fine, even when we were worried about you losing them," he said softly, continuing to kiss her stomach.

"You would've been able to see their souls?"

He nodded slightly. "Able to see them pretty early on, so I would've been able to remind you every single day that they were happy and healthy, even when things were scary." He liked to think that would have made things easier for Lucy if he had been able to do that. Because if anything had been wrong with their babies, he would have seen it. He would have seen their souls change; he would have been able to see them fading.

Even though that thought was scary as it was, because it was never pleasant to see someone's life literally fade away to nothing, and when it would literally be him watching his children's lives end before they even had a change to begin, Bickslow still thought it would be nice just to be able to see their souls. He would be able to tell Lucy how bright they were, every single day, and reassure her that they were okay. "Would've been able to tell you it was twins way before last week, too," he murmured.

"I think I would have liked that," Lucy said softly. "I would have liked that a lot, actually."

"Yeah. It would have been nice." Another sigh escaped him as he turned his head again just to trail kisses down her belly before he let his forehead rest against her quietly as his hand slowly ran up and down her side. As strange as it was, Bickslow was really looking forward to Lucy getting bigger. Lucy didn't understand it, of course, and neither did he if he were to be perfectly honest. Even then, at barely eleven weeks, she wasn't exactly that big, but it was enough that she really couldn't hide it anymore, not unless she wore about fifty layers.

Bickslow knew that he really wouldn't be able to keep using her as a human pillow too. At least, not for the entire time, because once she got further along, it really was bound to get uncomfortable for both of them. For now, though, Bickslow could keep doing that, because it was comfortable. Far too comfortable, actually, and Bickslow was sure he could fall asleep right there just like Lucy was, and Bickslow knew it because she'd stopped running her hand through his hair and her breathing had slowed. Not that he minded.

And in the relaxing and quiet moment that just got longer with each passing minute, Lucy truly was falling asleep.

"I love you, you know?" Bickslow suddenly mumbled with his lips against her stomach again.

His words had her heart skipping a beat and smiling softly once again. If it wasn't for the facts that she was half asleep, he was more than a little intoxicated, and he was still hugging her belly, she would have thought he meant her. But that would be too perfect and far too sweet, and Lucy was convinced that that wasn't the case. "I'm sure they do know," she whispered. "And I'm sure they love you too." Because with the way things they were, Lucy was entirely sure that he was just talking to the twins like he often did.

To that, Bickslow could only be just a little relieved that Lucy hadn't realised that he really did mean her. He always said and did stupid things when he was drunk, and right then was no different. He didn't entirely regret it though. If anything, he didn't regret it at all, because even when he'd been drinking and Lucy didn't even know what he meant, it felt good to actually say it. To tell her that he loved her had a warmth spreading throughout him that wasn't just from how much he'd had to drink.

But it didn't matter. He knew he probably wasn't even going to remember saying it at all in the morning, and if he did, he sure as hell wouldn't know why he'd let it slip out. And even if he really did remember, Lucy still wouldn't know that he'd meant her and not the babies. He sat up slowly once again and blindly pulled the fabric of her shirt down over her belly as best he could before he crawled up towards the pillows again. "Yeah, I'm sure they do," he said quietly, pressing just a light kiss to her cheek before moving back to the other side of the bed with a quiet sigh.

He didn't know what it was, but he felt just a little bit disappointed. And maybe, just maybe, it was because he was realising just how painful it was to be in love with someone who didn't love him back.


	27. Chapter 27

"Careful…"

Lucy sighed as she slowly continued to step forward with Bickslow's hand softly resting on the small of her back, and as she listened to the sound of the small twigs and leaves crunching under hers and Bickslow's feet, she tightened her grip on the car seat handle that Ingrid was in. "I wouldn't have to be careful if you'd just let me open my eyes and see where I'm actually going," she muttered.

"But that would ruin the surprise," Bickslow replied. "We're almost there though."

"I'd still love to know where ' _there'_ is…"

"You'll see when we get there," he chuckled.

Bickslow had to admit that he was quite proud of himself that Lucy had absolutely no idea what it was he had planned. And hell, he was also proud of himself for coming up with it in the first place. But that being said, it had been on his mind since Lucy had mentioned she wanted a date, and all of that night and all of that day (when he'd been awake, that is), he'd been trying to come up with something.

She wanted a date, so she was going to get a date. And Bickslow sure as hell hope she liked it. It wasn't exactly a conventional first date either, because with the limited knowledge on dating he did have, he knew that most first dates were usually out to get drinks or dinner. Something more casual just to get to know the other person a little bit better.

But their relationship wasn't conventional in the slightest. Legally and technically, they were married, not that they acknowledged it because of what had happened with their other selves and then they just really didn't care about each other enough to actually be married. They had a daughter together, and, they had two more children on the way. They lived together, and they'd only been _together_ for a few weeks.

Well… It had been twenty-four days, but who was counting? Well, they both were. Not that they knew it.

There was just nothing conventional about their relationship in the slightest, but that didn't mean it didn't work. Because they thought it did, and it was that very reason that Bickslow was confident Lucy would enjoy their slightly unconventional, hopefully romantic first date.

"You can stop right… here," Bickslow said once they'd come to the spot that Bickslow had been leading them to. He quickly leant down to press his lips against her cheek with a slight smirk before he whispered, "But you can't open your eyes yet."

"Seriously?" she whined.

"Seriously."

He stepped back once he'd taken the car seat from Lucy's hands and gently placed it on the ground just in front of her, and he looked around the small clearing between the cliff edge and the forest they'd just walked through – the one that was considerably smaller than what it had been in their own world, but that was only because half of it had been cleared for the residential areas that took up a lot of the outer areas of Magnolia.

Bickslow glanced back to Ingrid once he placed the basket he'd been carrying down on the ground, and after making sure that Ingrid was fine just where he was, he quickly began to unpack the wicker basket. He pulled out the fluffy blue blanket that he'd packed on the top of it, and he neatly laid it out on the grass in front of him, smoothing it out and adjusting it slightly to make sure it would be somewhat comfortable. Next he pulled out the clear container with the potato salad (which of course, Bickslow had not actually made, because he was still completely useless when it came to cooking anything), and then the paper-wrapped chicken salad rolls (which he also hadn't made), plates, glasses, and the still cold juice, and he arranged it all somewhat neatly on the blanket and then moved the basket with just a few things left in it off to the side.

"Can I look yet?" Lucy asked with another impatient sigh.

"In a minute," Bickslow answered. He quickly got up and then went over to the Lucy, only to carefully slide the bag from her shoulder before he placed it down next to the picnic basket and pulled out one of Ingrid's blankets. He arranged the small white blanket in the centre of the larger one, and then quickly got up again to grab Ingrid herself just to place her down on the blankets.

Confident that Ingrid was content as she rolled onto her tummy and looked at her new outdoor surroundings, Bickslow glanced over his shoulder one last time to make sure everything was perfect as he went back over to Lucy. An arm slowly wound around her waist and as he turned to look down at her with a wide grin, he softly said, "Now you can look."

The first thing Lucy saw when she was finally allowed to open her eyes was the cloudless sunset that covered everything in an orange glow. Then, it was the bustling and sprawling city she called home and the surrounding suburbs. And, as she looked down after slowly getting her head around where she actually was, she saw the picnic spread out and her daughter on the fluffy white blanket. Lucy looked up to Bickslow with a heartfelt smile as she wrapped her own arm around him. "A picnic?" she smiled.

Bickslow nodded. "You wanted a date, so… How's this for a first date?"

"Very nice," Lucy laughed as she stood up on her tiptoes, just to quickly press a kiss to his lips and wipe the grin off his face. She quickly pulled away from Bickslow, and she sat down on the blanket, she said, "Now, you made me wait for dinner—"

"It was like ten minutes," Bickslow cut in with a roll of his eyes as he followed her to sit down on the other side of Ingrid.

The glare she sent towards him then had Bickslow quickly realising that making her wait an extra ten minutes at best for food was a terrible idea. Regardless of the fact that it was a surprise. "If it wasn't for the fact that this is supposed to be a nice and romantic evening, then I wouldn't be like this," she said with an almost all too sweet smile, with just a hint of malice hidden in it. "I like my food, remember? And you made me wait an extra ten minutes for it."

Bickslow nodded in understanding quickly before he reached for the bottle and the glasses. "Note to self: don't get between you and food. Got it." He really should have known, to be honest. It wasn't like he didn't know that she was almost always hungry those days – not that he ever commented on it, of course, since he knew it because she was kind of eating for three. He just didn't think ten minutes would make that much of a difference. It wasn't going to be a mistake he'd make again though, that was for sure.

"Good boy," she laughed again as she unwrapped one of the rolls. When she saw Bickslow begin to pour the deep red liquid in the wine glasses from the bottle with the label that was almost suspiciously covered by his hand, her brows drew together and her mouth twisted into a tight line. "You do remember I can't drink, right?'

"Cranberry juice. Don't worry."

"Oh. Well, in that case… That's fine then," she laughed as she took the glass from him to take a sip.

As they ate and laughed, played with Ingrid and watched the sun finally set, Lucy was almost unable to draw her eyes away from the city before her. With the near full moon in the cloudless skin, there was plenty of light between that and the bright city. The view was different from what she was used to, and from where she sat, she could still see what she had seen so many times if she just closed her eyes.

From up there, one could see all of Magnolia. Every single building, the canals that ran through the town and separated the districts, and then the guild that everyone had spent so much time in. From up there, one of the highest points on the edge of town, everything could be seen.

But that was only if she closed her eyes. Because there, and right then, nothing was the same. She couldn't see every building in Magnolia, not when the boundaries she'd once known had been extended. In front of her was the city and the quiet neighbourhoods, and all around her even more suburban streets loomed. Once upon a time, all of that had just been forest, but things were different now, and Lucy knew that. From up there, she couldn't even see Kardia Cathedral. Not when it was dwarfed and hidden behind the sky-high towers.

"You can still see it, can't you?"

Lucy tore her gaze away from the shining city before her and looked to Bickslow beside her. He didn't need to say anything else for her to know what it was he was referring to. She nodded slowly before she whispered, "Can you?"

"Yeah," Bickslow sighed. And he really could. It was why he'd brought Lucy to that place for their date in the first place, because he knew it was just one of the few places left that wasn't completely different. Sure, the view itself had drastically changed, but there had still been so many times where Bickslow had sat on that same cliff edge, either alone or with his team, and just admired the town they called home, in all of its glory. But just because the view had changed, it didn't mean it was any less breathtaking than what they were used to.

He quickly finished packing up the rest of the containers and empty glasses, and he gently picked up Ingrid from where she lay on her white blanket, and he leant backwards, holding his arm out to the side while the other held Ingrid against his chest. "Come here," he said quietly, and when Lucy slowly laid back to curl up against his side with her head on his shoulder, he smiled softly, letting his arm wrap around her. "I wouldn't change it for anything in the world though."

Lucy tilted her head ever so slightly just to look up to the few stars shining in the night sky. "But don't you miss your magic and all of that?" she whispered.

"Of course," Bickslow said softly. "It's not like we'll ever be able to forget that we all come from a completely different world, but… I still really am glad that all of this happened." And he was. It didn't matter that he could still see what things used to look like if he closed his eyes and he focused on his memories. Bickslow could live with the lack of magic, regardless of how much he missed his floating companions. The fact of the matter remained that there really wasn't anything in the world that he loved more than _being_ there in that world. He turned his own head slightly just to press his lips to her forehead, and said, "I'm happy here. Like this. I wouldn't dream of ever going back. Not even if it was possible."

It warmed Lucy from the inside out to know that Bickslow was truly as happy with everything as he seemed. It wasn't that she hadn't known he was happy, because she did know. It was just that she had watched him from day one; she had seen him completely turn his life around. And since that first day, Bickslow had had plenty of opportunities to just walk away. From waking up in a completely different world, to finding out that he was married to her and they had a daughter. From Lucy getting hurt because of something Bickslow hadn't had anything to do with, and to her getting pregnant again – with twins, no less. Through everything, Bickslow had had so many reasons to leave and just leave everything he hadn't wanted behind him, and then zero reasons to ever care.

But Bickslow had done just that. He'd cared. The entire time, Bickslow had stayed and he had stayed with Lucy. They had dealt with everything together, and Bickslow had taken on every responsibility when he hadn't really had an obligation to do so. He hadn't had to care about Lucy – or Ingrid for that matter – and he hadn't had to comfort her anywhere near as much as he had in the past months. He hadn't had to see Ingrid as his daughter, nor had he had to see the twins as his own children. He had had every right to just walk away from a life that wasn't his. But, he'd stayed.

He had stayed and he had cared and he had made it a life that he actually did love. More than Lucy knew, anyway. But Lucy still loved it regardless. She truly missed her spirits, and her magic and the jobs… But, she wouldn't change anything either. Just like Bickslow, she was so glad that all of it had happened. Because maybe if things hadn't turned out like they had – she hadn't been hurt unintentionally and she hadn't needed her family – then maybe she wouldn't have realised just how amazing of a person that Bickslow actually was; maybe she wouldn't have fallen in love with him, because undoubtedly, she fell hard. Very hard.

She wasn't going to tell Bickslow that though. Not yet, at least. Maybe when she was sure she wasn't a complete lunatic for having fallen in love with him way too quickly.

"You know, neither would I." She wouldn't change anything in the world for what she had then, regardless of how different things were, and she meant it. With a soft smile on her lips, she lifted her hand that wasn't tucked under Bickslow's arm and lightly running through the blue strands of hair, and she lowered it to rest on Ingrid's shoulders, just above Bickslow's hand. "And… I'm glad it was you," she whispered as she looked back up to Bickslow, ignoring the searing heat on her face. "I really never thought I'd be saying it, but I'm glad it was you that I got to wake up next to."

"Me too. I don't things would have been the same if it hadn't been you. And I'm really, _really_ inclined to believe that the other me was an incredibly lucky son of a bitch to get you," he murmured with a wide grin all for her. Bickslow still really was convinced that his other self was the luckiest person in the entire world, despite also being the biggest dick. Which, he had said on more than one occasion because he really did hate him. Or himself, technically.

But the fact that he'd managed to get the Lucy of that world was what made him lucky. At least to _that_ Bickslow, anyway. He'd been able to date her, to love her, and to get her to fall in love of him. _Him_ , of all people. It still amazed him, and he wasn't even the one that she was in love with. At least not in that world, where it was actually them. At least… He didn't think she loved him. Maybe one day, he hoped. Because still, he loved her, and the thought of Lucy actually falling in love with him truly had him feeling… Giddy. Just the thought alone was euphoric, because truly, it would be amazing. The woman he loved and had done so for god knows how long, the mother of his children, and his goddamn wife. Bickslow just wanted to be able to tell her how much he loved her, but… He could wait for that moment.

For now, he would just enjoy what it was they had and hope that things really would continue to work out. He would enjoy just being her partner in crime, being able to spend time with her. And he'd sure as hell enjoy just spending time with his family and the simple moments, because more than anything, he really did love that they were a family.

Bickslow loved Ingrid more than he could put into words, and already, he felt the same way about the twins. He already knew that once they were actually there and in their arms, his life would be filled with just that more joy. He'd have two more tiny humans to devote his life to and love for the rest of his life, and oh, was Bickslow glad that he would get to do all of that with Lucy.

And as much as Bickslow hated his other self for what he had done – for making _him_ hurt Lucy in a way that she never deserved to be hurt – he had also calmed down in the last few weeks. If they really were in their old world, they would be without Ingrid, and there would be no way they'd know about the twins. And Bickslow knew that they'd both be hurting, and he honestly did feel just a little sorry for them. Not just for Lucy, because she was a mother, but for his other self too, because even if the guy was an absolute moron, he was still a father and no parent deserved to have their child taken away from them. Not unless they were seriously incapable of being a good parent, and Bickslow knew that his other self was not one of those people. Undoubtedly, he would have loved Ingrid as much as Bickslow did in that moment, if not more so, and if he'd known about the twins and Lucy falling pregnant again, he'd be as happy as he was then.

Because of everything that had happened, they'd had their baby taken away from them, and even for Bickslow himself to just think about that happening to him, it really fucking hurt. His other self had made a mistake – a huge mistake at that – but he was a good parent. At least he assumed so, and he really did believe it.

So maybe _Bickslow_ was really the lucky one, having ended up in that world. He liked to think that he was, because of everything that had happened, so many great things had come to be in such a short amount of time. He'd gotten a beautiful baby girl that he couldn't imagine his life without, he'd come to realise that he was in love with an even more beautiful and amazing woman, and he'd been able to see just how much having a family that was his own could change his life. But for the better. It didn't bother Bickslow in the slightest that his life had completely turned around, because he honestly thought he was a better person right then.

It didn't matter than he'd really had no choice in turning his life around. From the lack of magic in a world that was near the polar opposite to what they were accustomed to, to the necessity to become a better person for his daughter. More responsible, more caring… Stronger, kinder… Better. All because he wanted to be a better father. He wanted to be able to protect his children and keep them safe, from anything and everything. Because after all, his children's happiness was what he lived for, and if they grew up happy and loved, then Bickslow would be the happiest person in the world.

And the fact that he was going to be able to do all of that was what had Bickslow thinking he was the lucky one. He had the amazing daughter, and he had two more amazing children on the way. And he had Lucy. He had a truly amazing life, and Bickslow wouldn't change any of that for anything in the entire world, because he really didn't think he would be anywhere near as happy with everything if it all hadn't been with Lucy.

"I mean it though," he whispered after just staring into her eyes for probably far too long. "I really wouldn't change this for anything. Ingrid, the twins… _You_. I don't think I'd be half as happy as I am if it wasn't for you."

Lucy let out a weak laugh as she lifted her hand from where it was on Ingrid's back to wipe at her dry eyes, only after smoothing back the fine blonde hair on Ingrid's head. "Come on, Bicks. You know you can't say stuff like that if you don't want me to cry."

"Not my intention."

"I know… But…" She lifted her hand to lightly brush against his cheek as she sat up slightly on her elbow, and she smiled down at him. "I really think I'm the lucky one with all of this, because you're an amazing person and I wouldn't have gotten to know you at all if it wasn't for all of this. My other self seemed to have good taste in husbands too," she laughed.

Bickslow quickly sat up to gently move Ingrid back to her car seat just next to them, tucking her in with her white blanket and making sure she was still sound asleep. "You flatter me, Cosplayer. Really." Slowly, he moved back to Lucy until he was hovering just above her, and he lightly brushed his lips over hers before he murmured, "But what about my other self? He obviously had pretty good taste if he wanted to marry you."

Lucy could only contain her laughter for so long. Once Bickslow's lips had started twitching and rolled back, only pulling her with him so she was lying on top of him with their legs tangled together, she really hadn't been able to keep herself quiet.

"Oh, who am I kidding," he sighed, his hands smoothing down her back as she turned her head against his neck just in an attempt to quieten her laughter. "We both know you're too good for me. In any world. The guy probably realised he wasn't going to get any better. Might as well put a ring on it. Knock it up for good measure." Okay, so Bickslow didn't think it was quite his other self's reasoning, but it was probably close. Lucy was without a doubt too good for him, and Bickslow was convinced that he really would never be able to do any better, because Lucy was the best.

And yeah, maybe Bickslow really did think too highly of Lucy, and yeah, he was probably just a little bit too in love with her. But to him, there just wasn't anyone better than her. It wasn't like Bickslow believed in the entire _'one true love'_ thing either though, because he really didn't.

Did he want to? Yeah, a little.

Did he want it to be Lucy? Well, maybe.

Bickslow could truly see himself being happy with Lucy in the long run though. And he honestly thought he had a good reason to believe that that would happen too. They were married in that world, and at some point, his other self had looked at Lucy and thought, 'that's the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with' and Bickslow could honestly see that. He could truly see himself as being incredibly happy with Lucy for the rest of his life, and that was only a little worrying. Just because a part of him – a very, very big part of him – actually wanted to be with Lucy for the rest of his life.

He already knew that they were bound to be in each other's lives just because they had kids together, but Bickslow didn't really think that was enough. No, he wanted to be able to actually be with Lucy. To hold her, to kiss her; to tell her that he loves her. Every day. That was what Bickslow wanted, because he was sure that being with his family would keep him more than happy, and Lucy was his family. Lucy, Ingrid, the twins. They were his family and he loved them more than they knew.

"Twice," Lucy laughed again as she looked up. Because technically, she got knocked up twice.

"Yeah, twice," he said with a never-fading smirk. "Though, I do still wish _I_ got to do the honours." Bickslow actually took far too much pleasure in knowing that there was a very, _very_ good chance that the twins were conceived on Valentine's Day. And considering they'd been woken up in the middle of the night by Ingrid, he couldn't help it if his mind automatically went to the fact that just a few hours earlier, they probably would have been without clothes, and Bickslow really would have loved that part.

Lucy rolled her eyes with a quiet sigh. "I know you do, buddy." And oh, did she. There were certain things she wished Bickslow hadn't brought up after finding out she was pregnant and just when it would have happened. But… She still knew Bickslow had _wanted_ to sleep with her. In fact, he had quite clearly volunteered to, should she ever feel inclined to sleep with anyone at all. She just didn't know if he still wanted to. Because she kind of did. Just a little bit.

The only problem was that she literally couldn't. And even if she could, she wasn't totally ready to completely jump him (as much as he had expected her to at some point). Not yet, anyway. Maybe soon. But either way, she just didn't know if Bickslow would still want her like that by the time she actually could. Not that there would be that long of a wait, either.

So with her cheeks a very flattering shade of red, she pulled her lip between her teeth and sat up slightly, only sliding off of Bickslow to lie on her side. "Two weeks," she said finally before continuing when Bickslow gave her a look of complete confusion, "That's when my next appointment is. And… It's also how long I have to wait before I'm allowed to have sex," she mumbled.

If anything, it was just a giant pain in the ass to Lucy. The babies she was carrying were from sex, yet they were the entire reason she couldn't even have it at all. Of course, Lucy knew it was all just a precaution until her doctor could make sure everything was still fine. But it really was just a little annoying, because she was sure Bickslow was going to tease her to no end in those two weeks and would probably make her hate the situation more than she already did.

"Two weeks, huh?" The hand on her waist slowly inched down and over her hip, and his lips pulled up into the most wicked of smirks.

"Well… It might be closer to three weeks, technically… Since it's on a Thursday…"

"So… Eighteen days starting tomorrow?" She nodded after a moment, and he quickly leant down that last bit to press his lips to hers. "So you mean…" he began between kisses that only briefly silenced her quiet laughter. "I get to fuck you in eighteen days?"

She shrugged slightly from where she was under Bickslow again and turned her eyes elsewhere. Her face felt so hot she was sure she was going to need to stick it in front of the vents and turn the air-con on full blast in the car. "W-Well… No guarantees, but I mean… If you'd still want to, then… Yeah."

Bickslow's grin grew surprisingly wider as he began to chuckle quietly. "Fuck, Cosplayer. You have no idea. Now I'm just going to be counting down though." And oh, was he. It was going to be a very, _very_ long eighteen days, and that was assuming she even wanted to and was allowed to. He could only hope that the hormones would be on his side by the end of those eighteen days though, because yeah, Bickslow would seriously love to jump into bed with her.

And honestly, it was something he'd only been dreaming of for far too long. Not that Lucy knew that, of course, because he'd only been fantasising about what the former Celestial mage would look like in his bed, severely lacking clothes and with his name on her lips, since he'd actually met her. Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to tell Lucy that. Not yet, anyway. He'd definitely tell her at some point… Probably somewhere around the time when he admitted that she turned him on far too much for his own good.

But to think that there was a chance that she actually would want to sleep with him… It had Bickslow feeling like a teenager. Again. Somehow. He couldn't even care about the fact that he'd only been waiting for that to happen since her first appointment and she'd flat-out denied them ever having a chance of sleeping together. But then again, that was before they'd started dating, and Bickslow would be lying if he said he didn't know how to tease her just the right way. And with words alone.

"But you know, since we're on the subject of sleeping together, which I am so totally down for, and I will be waiting _patiently_ for the moment you jump on me and realise that you can no longer deny yourself _this,"_ he quickly said as he turned slightly to prop himself up on an elbow as he kept his other arm around Lucy, just to keep her as close as possible. "I forgot to tell you how beautiful you are this morning."

 _Yep, definitely going to need that air-con going._ "That's not really related at all, and you weren't even awake this morning," she giggled.

Bickslow shrugged. "Kinda related." _Because you without clothes is seriously going to be just amazing and beautiful and perfect all at once. Seriously._ "And I wasn't awake because I was hungover," he laughed. "Still not sure why you won't tell me what idiotic things I said last night though." The fact that Lucy had refused to tell him just what he'd said between getting home and crashing until nearly midday had Bickslow panicking just a little bit. He was convinced he said something to regret, but… He'll just never know.

"You weren't that stupid," Lucy said with a soft smile as she let their lips brush together again just briefly. "You were kinda sweet, actually."

"Well that's new."

She let out a quiet laugh before ducking her head to rest on his shoulder. "But I really didn't think you were serious about doing that every morning though."

"Well, I wasn't until I said it, and then I realised it was a really good idea," he said softly, turning his own head to look up to the dark sky above them. "I'm still gonna do it every morning though. As soon as I wake up, I'm gonna tell you just how beautiful you are."

"You're a dork."

"And how many times have we been through this?"

She sighed quietly as her lips pulled up into a small smile. "I know, I know. You're my adorable dork. I remember."

"And as long as I'm your adorable dork, you're my Cosplayer." And Bickslow truly hoped it would be like that for at least a little while longer.

* * *

The sound of his alarm going off on the nightstand beside him had Bickslow rolling over with a groan to blindly reach for his phone to shut the damn thing off. A hand ran down his face once the room was silent again and he rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. It was only then did Bickslow realise just how silent in truly was. Usually by that point in the morning, at only a little before eight o'clock in the morning, Lucy was usually up and about, either with Ingrid, or occasionally violently retching with the odd curses here and there. All of which he heard, and he was very much used to.

Turning his head to the other side, a lazy smile floated across his face before he finally rolled to his other side after dropping his phone behind him. His arm wound around Lucy's waist to rest against her stomach and he moved forward until he could lightly brush his lips against the back of her neck. "Morning, beautiful," Bickslow murmured as he came to rest against her shoulder to see the soft smile form on her lips. "You're not up yet."

Lucy sighed as she tucked her hand under her pillow and kept her eyes closed. It was one of the few mornings she didn't already feel like death – though she could find just a little bit of solace in the fact that her morning sickness really was just in the mornings those days – and she was sure as hell going to enjoy staying in bed just a little bit longer. Well, at least until Ingrid got up, and Lucy was certain the tiny human was still asleep. For now. "I'll get up in a little bit," she said tiredly. "Just enjoying not feeling terrible for once."

"It's okay. You don't have to get up," he mumbled before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I can get Ingrid so you can stay in bed for a little while longer." He only got a mumbled response he couldn't even understand before he quickly pulled away and rolled back to his own side of the bed to sluggishly push himself to his feet.

Slowly, Bickslow pulled himself down the hall after coming from the bathroom, and went straight into the next room after quietly pushing the door open. He looked down to Ingrid once he'd come up to her crib, and he smiled down at her to see her just barely waking. "Oh, and look who else is enjoying a sleep in this morning." Hell, it was a bit of a wonder as to why she hadn't woken them both up earlier. Bickslow reached down to pick Ingrid up, letting the rest of the blanket she'd mostly kicked off fall away, and into his arms before turning for the changing table on the other side of the room. "But good morning to my other beautiful girl," he said with a kiss to her cheek. "No crying this morning, alright? We gotta stay quiet so Cosplayer can get some rest. Which she needs, might I add, 'cause she's giving you two baby sisters. Or brothers. Hopefully brothers because I might go insane if they're girls."

Well… He probably wouldn't, but he would be lying if the thought of having three girls wasn't just a little terrifying. For whatever reason, all Bickslow could picture was some wicked tantrums once they'd all grown up and figured out how to scream and shout and hate each other. Three screaming girls, plus a mother who was definitely more than frightening if you happened to get on her bad side. Bickslow had seen what happened to Natsu and Gray far too many times, and he definitely did not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath… Especially while she was pregnant.

But still, even though he was just a little terrified of Lucy and what would happen if he pissed her off just a little bit too much, and he was more than worried about what he was going to do if he ended up having another two girls (he really did shudder at the thought of what his house would be like once they were all teenagers, considering it would be at the same goddamn time), Bickslow wasn't really going to mind the twins being girls. Another two beautiful girls like Ingrid? Yeah, Bickslow would have no problems with that. It was really just that he liked the idea of having sons.

"Now. What shall we have for breakfast today, Ingrid?" he asked the small blonde as he picked her up once again and held her in one arm, knowing full well she didn't actually understand him. When he made his way out into the hall he could only roll his eyes and sigh when Ingrid's hand went up and she began to tug on his lip. Not that it was that out of the ordinary for her to do that, since she'd developed a less than desirable trait of being rather grabby. Either an ear, a nose, a mouth, or some hair. Or even their shirts, really. She always liked to have her hands on something, and it was definitely more than annoying, but they were working on it. "No, Ingrid," Bickslow scolded her softly as he pried her hand away from his mouth. "Daddy is not for breakfast, okay?"

He sighed again once Ingrid was in the highchair and he pulled the fridge open to stare into it. _Right… Totally forgot to go and get food on the weekend…_ What, with all the chaos between telling everyone about Lucy being pregnant and Lucy's team visiting and interrupting their nap time, and then him being hungover for most of Sunday, plus being too busy trying to come up with an idea for an awesome first date, grocery shopping had truly been the last things in either of their minds.

"So, Ingrid," Bickslow began when he finally started to pull things out of the fridge before reaching for a box that sat in the corner of the counter. "How about apple today?" He could only shake his head with a light chuckle as she began her nonsense babbling… As usual. It had always entertained Bickslow, though he could never explain why. Maybe it was because she thought she made perfect sense, or maybe it was because she was just too damn adorable when she made all the weird noises that absolutely no one could understand.

Of course, there had been that one time where it had been close to a word, and Lucy might have walked in on Bickslow crying and hugging Ingrid who had been on the verge of crying herself. Bickslow was absolutely certain it didn't actually happen, even though it really had. He didn't need Lucy giving him hell for involuntarily bursting into tears when Ingrid said something she didn't know the meaning of.

But… When she did know that _dada_ was an actual word (well, sort of), then he was probably going to end up crying all over again. He only took a little bit of consolation in knowing that Lucy would probably do the same thing once Ingrid did it to her and she knew what she was saying. Well, sort of.

So like he did most mornings, Bickslow sat at the kitchen table and fed Ingrid her usual breakfast, making sure she could get her hand on the plastic spoon each time he gave her another spoonful of the apple porridge something-or-other that didn't look at all appetising she seemed to love so much those days. Bottles and cups she had no problems with on her own, but spoons? Yeah, she was still working on that, but that was okay.

"It's just gonna be you and Cosplayer today," Bickslow said softly as he let Ingrid take full control of feeding herself once the bowl was mostly empty. Or at least _trying_ to feed herself. If anything, she just liked to make a mess. Getting up, Bickslow walked back around to the kitchen, leaving Ingrid to her own devices, and went on the hunt for his own breakfast. "I'll be gone _all_ day, Ingrid," he said, only getting a glance from the seven-month-old (well, one day away) at the mention of her name. "You're gonna miss me, right?"

She had the capabilities of missing him when he was gone… Right? Bickslow just truly didn't know. He really did like to think Ingrid would miss him when he was gone almost all day, having spent a lot of time with her lately. But… He honestly didn't believe Ingrid would notice all that much if he was gone. Especially not when she had her mother by her side to keep her occupied, but he'd still have to ask Lucy about that once he got home after work. It was a little weird, but if Ingrid was a pain in the ass for Lucy, he was going to enjoy the hell out of it.

He sighed as he went back to the table, toast in hand as he slumped back in the chair to look at Ingrid who was, as expected, making an absolute mess of herself. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss me either." He paused to take another bite of the toast as his eyebrows rose, finding how the giggling infant could find her current predicament entertaining just a little curious. Just like he did every morning. That was one thing that hadn't changed since he'd been in that world; he still didn't quite understand how she could laugh at almost everything. But he wasn't going to complain, not when it was seriously one of the most endearing things he'd ever heard. "Not when you've got Cosplayer all to yourself." _Definitely wouldn't mind having Cosplayer all to myself though…_ "But speaking of Cosplayer… I should probably stop calling her that around you. At this rate, your first word will end up being _cosplayer_. Now that… Would be pretty damn amazing. If only it wasn't impossible and she wouldn't kill me for it."

But one day though, Bickslow was going to make sure all three of them would be able to say cosplayer, just because it was his job as a father to make sure his children were aware of their mother's middle name. Well, the one he'd given her, anyway. Of course, if it was possible for any of their first words to be _cosplayer_ , then he'd be over the fucking moon and probably be on the verge of running for his life. But it was way too complex and definitely wasn't going to happen. For now, he would be fine with her nonsensical language.

Bickslow quickly dusted off his hands once he was done with his own breakfast, and he got up from the table once again just to pull Ingrid up into his arms once again with a shake of his head. "How about we get you cleaned up now, huh?" So gently, holding her in one arm, he began to clean up her face around her mouth (and her ears and nose, strangely), all while trying his best to keep her still. "Come on, Ingrid," he said softly when she began to whimper and turn her head away from the damp cloth. She liked getting messy, but not so much the cleaning up part of it all.

Once she was all happy again, and after Bickslow had quickly cleaned up most of the mess in the kitchen and on her table, he went straight back into her nursery just to slowly lower her into her crib. He still needed to shower and get changed, and he couldn't do that when he had a seven-month old who could definitely not be left alone… especially when she was hopefully and presumably on the verge of figuring out how to actually move herself around. If she was in her crib, she could move about all she wanted. She couldn't get anywhere, and she was definitely fine to be left in there for a few minutes.

So quickly, Bickslow began to get himself ready for his day, starting with a shower that was probably way too short for his liking. If it wasn't his first day back in nearly a month, he wouldn't be so worried about taking just a little bit longer and being late. But, since it really was his first day back in a little while, he figured it probably wouldn't be in his best interest to be late. If anything, he was planning on being early. Well, by his standards.

It was only when he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around his hips did Bickslow realise that he hadn't actually gotten his clothes out of the bedroom yet. If it was one thing they made sure of, it was to get whatever clothes they wanted to wear after a shower or bath out before they went into the bathroom. Especially when one of them was still going to be in the bedroom after. If the bedroom would be empty, then it wouldn't be an issue. And it was all because of that one time Bickslow had come out of the shower when Lucy had been getting changed, and she'd almost slipped. Great day in all, but that was where the entire 'clothes must be taken into the bathroom if the bedroom is occupied' thing had started. If it wasn't for the fact that he was bound to get far too distracted by the blonde in nothing but a towel, then he probably wouldn't have agreed to it as quickly as he had.

Of course, that was just before Lucy realised she could spend way too long staring at Bickslow in nothing but a towel, and he knew it. He occasionally liked to have just a bit of fun with that piece of information, but right then wasn't one of those times. At least he didn't think it was.

So with a slight sigh of annoyance as he pushed his dripping hair back and out of his face, Bickslow turned after picking up his clothes and throwing them in the hamper in the bathroom, and then slowly pulled the door open to quietly cross back into the bedroom. He only quickly glanced towards Lucy as he walked past the foot of the bed, and then it was over to his side of the mirrored wardrobe.

"Wear the light grey one."

Bickslow looked over his shoulder at the soft voice and saw Lucy looking towards him with a slight blush on her cheeks, no less, from what he could tell with her tugging the blanket up to her ears. As the corner of his mouth tugged up into a smirk, he asked, "Why that one?"

Lucy shrugged. "You haven't worn that one for a while."

"Technically, I haven't worn any of them for a while," he chuckled.

"I just meant that you hadn't worn that one for a while _before_ you took the time off work," she corrected herself. It was always the black or the dark grey or the navy blue Bickslow wore the most. It wasn't that they each didn't look amazing, because she could stare at Bickslow in any number of his suits just as long as she could him in a towel. It was just that she happened to also particularly like the light grey, mainly because it made his hair and eyes stand out even more than they already did. "Pink tie, too, please."

Bickslow rolled his eyes as he turned back to the wardrobe and looked for the light grey suit in question amongst the rest of the hanging suits in front of him. It was the most boring part of his wardrobe, but then again, it was almost the most boring part of his life. Oh, if only he could spend all day at home with Lucy and Ingrid… That would be the life, truly. But no, he couldn't do that. He had to go to work. "I'm not wearing a pink tie," he scoffed.

"Pink too girly of a colour for you?"

Bickslow laughed again as he turned back around, just to see the playful gleam dancing in her eyes. "I paint my damn nails. Do you really think I'll have an issue with something being too girly?" Of course, Bickslow had only recently begun painting his nails again, and of course, it was his usual matte black. Never shiny, apart from that one time he'd let Lucy do them for whatever reason. Lucy wasn't using the drawer full of polish she owned in that world, so Bickslow had decided to make use of it.

His issue with the tie, however, was just because he didn't want to wear a goddamn pink tie.

As Lucy shrugged, Bickslow pulled a shirt from the drawers inside the wardrobe and slung it over his shoulder with the suit, and slowly began to walk back towards the bathroom. A mischievous smirk plagued his lips when he went back around the bed instead, and as Lucy turned to look at him with nothing but confusion on her face, Bickslow's grin only got wider as her eyes flicked down ever so briefly and her cheeks instantly became at least ten shades darker than they already were. She was far too adorable like that, and if Bickslow wasn't already convinced she was actually going to be the death of him at some point, he would have been sure then.

He leant down just as he dropped a light pink tie on top of her head, before he dropped his head to let the tip of his tongue lightly glide up her cheek before his lips brushed by her ear, knowing full well the kind of reaction it got from her. Oh, Bickslow remembered exactly what had happened the first time he'd done that to her, and even then when he'd pushed the boundaries more times than he could count, he still didn't quite understand how Lucy found it so damn ticklish. She wasn't laughing then though, and that was what Bickslow wanted.

No, it was about teasing her, just because he knew he could. It didn't help he suddenly wanted to have some fun. So with his lips still flush against her cheek, he murmured, "But if you really want me to wear a pink tie, then I'll wear nothing but a pink tie. Just for you." Of course, there was no way in hell he would be caught dead in nothing but a pink tie. Lucy, on the other hand… Well, he could only hope he could convince _her_ to wear the pink tie and nothing but the pink tie. Just that thought and mental image alone had Bickslow almost wishing he was wearing something other than a towel.

So when Bickslow quickly turned and headed for the bathroom once again, Lucy could only stare in complete shock at the closed door for a moment before she looked up to the ceiling. _Did he just…?_ Her mind almost completely shut off when she reached up to pull the pink piece of silk from where it was sitting on the top of her head, and she held it out before her to stare at it almost incredulously. The fact that she was actually thinking of Bickslow in nothing but that same pink tie was not something she would admit to him. He probably already knew it anyway though, because he wouldn't have said it if it hadn't been his intention.

With a shake of her head just to try and force the image out of her head – not that it wasn't pleasant, because it was, or at least her imagination was working wonders – Lucy dropped the pink tie to the bed beside her and she rolled over to her side once again, and reached out for her own phone on the nightstand. Seeing the time, she sighed and finally pulled herself out of bed. Bickslow would no doubt be leaving for work soon, so she really did have to get up.

Bickslow came back out from the bedroom a little while later, dressed and ready for work and his day. Lucy turned when she heard him coming down the hall, and she was suddenly smiling when she saw him putting on a light blue tie instead. That just wasn't going to cut it though. So quickly, she got up from where she sat at the counter and headed past Bickslow as he went over to the lounge to where Ingrid was on the floor and keeping herself occupied.

He looked up when Lucy came back out just a moment later, and he quickly crouched down again to kiss the top of Ingrid's head getting back up to finish getting the rest of his things ready, starting with his laptop on the desk in the corner.

"Hey, come here," Lucy said suddenly.

He turned around again and an eyebrow instantly shot up when he saw the mischievous smirk on her lips. That was never a good sign when she had that look, and Bickslow had realised that very early on. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously when she raised her hands to begin to loosen the tie he had on. And of course, Bickslow noticed the pink one she had wrapped around one of her hands.

"The pink one will look better."

"What is with you and that pink tie, huh?" And there Bickslow was, thinking that he was the one who had a newfound appreciation for that pink tie, only because it was really hard not to like that particular tie when he was picturing Lucy in it. But maybe Lucy also had a newfound obsession with that tie, and really, Bickslow couldn't complain.

Lucy shrugged as she pulled the light blue fabric away, only stepping forward as Bickslow moved back to lean against the desk with a sigh. He really didn't want to wear the pink tie, but he would. Not that he was really understanding why Lucy seemed so set on him wearing the thing in the first place. Dropping the tie to the desk, Lucy unwound the light pink silk tie from around her hand before she draped it around his neck, and said, "I just really happen to like this colour." Okay, so it wasn't the entire truth… But it was enough. "When are you going to be home anyway?"

"Probably just after five," he answered. "I'll be gone _all_ day."

"I know. Isn't it fabulous?"

"Ouch," Bickslow mumbled as he tried his best to seem hurt. "You know, you're really not as nice as everyone thinks sometimes."

Lucy laughed as she smoothed his tie down against his shirt. "Maybe, but do you have a problem with that?" Because really, she was only like that around Bickslow. She was a completely different person around him, as she had come to realise, but that was only because she knew he could handle it.

"Not at all," he said with a wide grin. If anything, he loved it, but he wasn't going to say that. He stood up from where he leant against the desk as Lucy turned and went back to the counter, sitting down once again. He quickly picked up the laptop and tucked it under his arm just to come up behind Lucy. "Do I really have to go back today though?" he murmured, letting his chin rest on her shoulder as he gently placed the laptop on the counter and instead wound his arms around her. "I'm sure just one more day will be okay. I'll go back tomorrow."

"Bickslow, you're going back. _Today_ ," she laughed again.

He sighed and he dropped his head to kiss her cheek. "Are you sure?" he murmured again. Moving his lips down to her neck, and taking great delight in the quiet laughter that bubbled out of her, he continued between kisses, "I mean, I could do this some more… And we could totally curl up with Ingrid and watch more of that show. What's it called again? _Pretty Little Liars_ or something."

"Why do you even like that show so much?"

"I'm not even sure. I love it and hate it at the same time."

Lucy shook her head. "It's tempting, really… But you're going to go to work." And oh, was it tempting. She would like nothing more than to spend her day cuddled up with Bickslow and Ingrid, but she couldn't do that. She reached down to where Bickslow's hands were folded over one another, and she pulled them apart and away from her stomach. "And if you don't leave soon, you're going to be late, and I really don't think Laxus or Erza will appreciate you being late on your first day back in nearly a month."

Bickslow groaned in frustration as he stepped back, only leaning around her to reach for his laptop again before turning away. "Apparently not tempting enough," he muttered. After tucking the laptop into the messenger back on the table and throwing the strap over his shoulder, Bickslow quickly dashed around the apartment once more just to make sure he had everything he needed. With his keys in one pocket, phone in the other, and everything else he'd needed to take back to his office in the bag, he came back out to the living room one last time and did the button up on his grey jacket and slowly made his way over to Lucy. "Alright, I'm leaving now. Don't try too hard to hide your excitement."

Lucy sighed almost dreamily when she turned back around and dropped her head to rest in her hand with her elbow on the edge of the counter. Yeah, she was very sure she could stare at her boyfriend in a suit for far longer than she actually should. "You know… Maybe just one more day wouldn't be so terrible…" Lucy mumbled. Suddenly his offer was a whole lot more tempting…

"Nuh-uh. You missed your chance." Bickslow quickly leant down to press their lips together with his hand lightly resting against her cheek, before pulling away just enough to once again say between kisses, "I'll pick up… Something for dinner… On my way back… Okay?"

"Why must you—" She was cut off once again, and when he pulled away with an almost wicked grin on his face, she made the most of the opportunity and quickly laid her hands flat on his chest to keep him away. "—always do that?" she finally finished. It wasn't all bad, truly, but when she hadn't even brushed her teeth yet… Yeah, it was just a little gross.

Bickslow shrugged. "Just getting in what I'll be missing out on during the day." Lucy could only roll her eyes before he quickly leant down one final time, much to her annoyance, and he quickly began, "Anyway. Leaving now. I'll see you later. Love yo—Oh… Shit…"

His eyes went almost comically wide and he suddenly stepped back before he completely froze. _Did I really just say that? Why the fuck did I say that? Please, for the love of god, please tell me I did not fucking say that._ Bickslow truly had no idea why he'd even said it, because he really hadn't meant to. It had just… slipped out, and Bickslow was sure as hell hating it. He hadn't wanted to try and screw up his relationship with Lucy, but he was almost convinced he had done just that.

Lucy stared at Bickslow in complete shock and amazement. She was utterly speechless as she tried to comprehend what she'd heard. Or really, what she thought she'd heard. But either way, her heart was hammering away in her chest and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it. Had he just accidentally told her that he loved her? Yeah, quite possibly, but Lucy had no idea if he'd meant it or not. And even if he had, Lucy couldn't say it back.

She couldn't say anything at all. Not that she loved him, or even a single word. She just… Couldn't do anything.

Bickslow cleared his throat rather awkwardly suddenly when he was sure the situation couldn't actually get any more awkward at all, and he finally dropped his hand when he hadn't moved it away from her. "Fuck, I… I didn't mean… Well, I do, but I… Fuck." _Oh, fuck me… Why can't I ever shut up?_ He nodded once and forced himself to smile just as awkwardly as everything else, and pointed towards the door. "I'm just gonna go before I say anything else and decide throwing myself out a window sounds like a good idea," he said incredibly quickly, ignoring the way his voice was only barely cracking before he turned and all but ran for the door.

And as the door closed behind him, Lucy finally remembered how to move – to blink, even – and she only turned to look at Ingrid. Confused really didn't even begin to scratch the surface of how she felt, and as she watched Ingrid continue to be oblivious to most things around her (hell, she had all five of Bickslow's totems in front of her, so nothing else was even worth her attention), she only mumbled to herself, "Did he just say that?" Because that was all her brain could come up with at that point, and it was all because Bickslow had told her he loved her.


	28. Chapter 28

When Bickslow stepped out of the elevator at half-past-nine in the morning, he was convinced his day couldn't get any worse. First of all, he was already late (technically, he was paid to be there from nine o'clock), and he'd tried not to be late considering it was his first day back. But secondly, he'd blurted out that he loved Lucy, and she'd just sat there in silence. It wasn't the part that Lucy hadn't said anything though that had Bickslow seriously hating himself. He truly didn't mind that she hadn't said anything. Oh no. It was that he'd said it at all, and then he'd made it a whole bunch worse for himself by not being able to keep his damn mouth shut.

The one time he'd needed to, and he hadn't been able to.

It wasn't that he didn't mean it though, because he did. Plus, he had to admit it felt pretty great to tell her, even if he hadn't meant to. Of course, he was still dreading walking back into their apartment later that night, just because he knew everything was going to be awkward and he wouldn't be able to just sweep what he'd said under the rug. Lucy wouldn't let him do that. He knew that much.

If she just ignored it, then it would be absolutely fucking amazing. They could just pretend it hadn't happened. He could walk in, be greeted by his amazing girlfriend and daughter, tell Lucy all about his boring day and his terrible meetings, and pretend nothing was wrong as they curled up in bed. Oh, how Bickslow would love that.

Except the world really fucking hated him that day, and as he walked into the main room for that floor, passing the rows of cubicles with the busy workers and Evergreen and Freed's empty offices, he was convinced his day was really about to get a whole lot worse. His assistant, James, was only cringing as he quickly got up from his desk closest to Bickslow's office, and that was not a look Bickslow liked at all. Not on his first day back.

"Why the hell do you look like that?" Bickslow asked slowly as he looked to his own office with the closed door and the closed blinds.

"Uh, good morning, Mr. Theroux," James said quickly. "Uh… Well, I did try and stop them, but…"

 _Stop them? Oh no…_ Bickslow wouldn't be surprised if he was late to a meeting, and he was sure there was someone waiting for him in his office (a great way to start the day, apparently). So when he finally got to his door and pushed it open, he expected to see some middle-aged, balding loser in a suit sitting in one of the two chairs on one side of his desk. But… That wasn't what he saw. What he did see, however, was the entirety of his team and the entirety of Lucy's team (well, former teams, technically) making themselves comfortable on every lounge and chair in the room.

Yeah, Bickslow was now more than convinced his day could not get any worse now.

"About time you showed up," Laxus muttered as he flicked through a binder from where he sat on the edge of the lounge.

"At least I showed up," Bickslow retorted. Not that he really had anywhere else to be though, and he still really was not looking forward to going home. He couldn't even imagine what his day would be like if he hadn't had to go to work, but then again, he wouldn't have said it at all if he hadn't been leaving. He sighed when he got to his desk, only to see Natsu spinning around on it. "Natsu, get the fuck out of my chair."

"Fine, fine," Natsu whined.

Bickslow looked down to his desk as he folded his jacket over the back of his chair, and he internally groaned when he looked over his schedule for the day. Meetings, meetings, and then more meetings. He hated meetings with a passion, and he had been more than glad to not attend a single one in nearly a month (apart from the conference he'd been forced to go to, but that didn't really count).

"So, uh…" Erza suddenly broke the silence as Bickslow sat down and leant back in his chair, his eyes still trained on the sheets in front of him as he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. "How's Lucy?" she asked.

 _Oh, dear god, no…_ Of all things, she just had to ask about Lucy. "You saw her like two days ago. She's fine. Why wouldn't she be anything other than fine?" he almost snapped. _Oh, fuck… That window looks good. What floor am I on again? I wonder how long it would take to fall to my death from this floor…_

"Oh… I was just asking…"

"Well, she's fine. She's always fine. Ingrid's fine. Twins are fine. Everything and everyone is fine and perfect," Bickslow insisted, only to instantly regret it and seriously consider sewing his mouth shut. He just could not keep it shut to save his life that day, and when the room fell into an uncomfortable silence again after his unnecessary outburst with everyone just staring at him, Bickslow could only shake his head as he dropped it down to his desk. He'd fucked up. Again.

"Bickslow…" Laxus said slowly, closing the binder in his lap. "What did you do?" It was just a simple question, but it was the only one he needed to ask. He'd known the former Seith mage for a long time, and he knew exactly when something was wrong. In this case, he could tell that he'd done something.

Well, it was more of an assumption really, but Laxus had come to realise it was a very safe assumption to make in almost all situations. And, judging by the way Bickslow was acting right then, Laxus was very sure the man had done something to make him that way at all.

"Something stupid," Bickslow groaned into his desk.

The sound of Evergreen snickering from where she sat on one of the armchairs opposite his desk had Bickslow lifting his head just enough to look at her and figure out just why she had a reason to laugh right then.

She shrugged when she saw Bickslow looking at her with his eyes slightly narrowed. "You always do stupid things," she said. He had to admit that she had a point, and he could only shrug before he dropped his head to his desk again.

"So how stupid are we talking, Bicks?" Laxus asked. "Your definition of stupid, or _really_ stupid?"

"I… I don't know," Bickslow mumbled.

"Well, what exactly did you do?"

He sighed into the table before he answered, "I said something." Of course, it was followed by another groan when he realised that he'd said too much. Again.

"Oh! Can we guess what you said?" Natsu chimed in.

"What? No."

"Aww, why not?"

Bickslow could only stare at Natsu in shock as he tried to figure out if he was completely serious. He knew Natsu was an idiot, but was he so much of an idiot that he really couldn't tell that Bickslow didn't want to talk? He'd already said enough to everyone as it was (considering he hadn't wanted to tell anyone anything), and he sure as hell did not want to talk to his girlfriend's best friend about how he'd accidentally told her that he loved her. He didn't want to talk to anyone about that.

He shook his head as he reached for the bag on the floor as he quickly pulled his laptop and everything from it – including Lucy's book which he was convinced was the entire reason for him being in that mess. But, it had come from his office, and he was returning it to his office. "Because it's none of your business what I said," Bickslow said. "What I said is between me and the person I said it to, and now I'm going to stop talking before I say something I don't mean to again." _Oh dear god… Where is the fucking tape? I need to fucking tape my mouth shut. Will staples work?_

"Alright, now I'm really curious as to what it was you said," Evergreen said.

"I kinda am too," Gray added. "Was it to Lucy? Whatever it was you said?"

Bickslow suddenly looked back up just to see everyone staring at him expectantly. Why the hell were they all so interested in finding out what he'd said? It wasn't like he could blame anyone in the room for the mess he was in right then, because it was his fault things were turning out the way they were. If he hadn't read the book, he wouldn't have realised he was in love with her. If he hadn't said that he loved her, then he wouldn't be hating himself. If he wasn't hating himself, then his mind would be in the right place and he would have known when to shut the fuck up and he wouldn't have everyone pressuring him to find out just what he'd said.

Although, if he hadn't fallen in love with Lucy in the first place, then none of it would be happening at all, but he still had no idea how or when that had happened. He was beginning to think the stupid book had been right in the fact that he'd _always_ been in love with her.

"Why are you bringing up Lucy? Lucy has nothing to do with this. At all," Bickslow said quickly.

"Well, you do live together…" Erza stated.

"And you two are dating," Evergreen added. "So…" It was pretty clear to her that whatever Bickslow had said, it had been to Lucy. Who else was he going to talk to first thing in the morning? It was only when she really realised that the entire situation was from Bickslow being stupid and saying something to Lucy did she put two and two together. Or at least, she thought she did, and her eyes went wide as her hand flew to her mouth just as a shriek left it. "Oh my god."

Bickslow stared at the former Fairy mage in shock and confusion along with everyone else in the room, and he was just that little bit closer to believing he was going to die of a heart attack before he was thirty. There was no way Evergreen could know and have figured it out. He already knew Laxus knew – he'd been sitting silently with an eyebrow raised since he'd mentioned saying something stupid, waiting to see if Bickslow was going to let any more secrets spill – and Bickslow was definitely glad he'd remained quiet, but just how could Evergreen have figured it out?

"Ever…" Bickslow said firmly, his eyes narrowed and focused on the woman.

"You didn't, did you?" she shrieked.

Just a few words and Bickslow was definitely sure she had figured it all out, and that was definitely not good at all. "How the hell do you know?" Bickslow hissed as he sat forward on his chair, leaning over the files and laptop on his desk.

"So you did? Bickslow! What the hell is wrong with you!? What even happened anyway?"

"I didn't mean to fucking say it!"

Gray looked between the former mages with as much curiosity and confusion as everyone in the room, excluding Laxus. His brow was only creasing, and in the short moment of silence where the two only seemed to stare at each other, Gray promptly cut in, "Am I the only one who still has no idea what Bickslow said?"

Erza shook her head. "I don't—"

"Can't we all just drop the issue of what Bickslow said, and actually start talking about what we're all in here for? Like, our jobs? And helping Bicks get caught up with everything?" Laxus interrupted with a sigh. Sure, it was just a little entertaining to watch the man he called his best friend squirm and quite obviously hate himself for talking (he'd never been able to keep anything to himself for long, even if his life had depended on it), but he had to get the conversation to end before things got out of control. If he had accidentally told Lucy he loved her, Laxus knew it was definitely not something he wanted to have spread around.

"No, we cannot." Evergreen turned around in her chair quickly just to gawk at the former Lightning slayer. Slowly turning back to Bickslow, her brow furrowed as she tried to understand how no one could have figured it out, and she said, "Work is nowhere near as important as Bicks telling Lucy he loves her!"

"He did what?!"

"Huh?"

"You do?"

Bickslow just stared at the woman as everyone stared back at him (excluding Laxus who was only bringing his binder up to his face to hide it) and quickly began to freak the fuck out. Bickslow could only be glad that Mira didn't actually work there, because if she found out, he'd be fucking dead. But that wasn't the point. The point was that Evergreen was the one who wasn't able to keep her mouth shut right then, and he could definitely blame her for the way Lucy's team was staring at him. It was positively terrifying, if he were to be honest.

"Ever! What the fuck?!" he shouted. "Why the fuck did you have to say that?!"

It was only when Bickslow slumped back in his chair with his head once again hitting the stack of papers in the middle of the desk, did Evergreen realise that she really shouldn't have just said what was apparently something Bickslow didn't actually want to talk about at all. Or at least, not with them. She was definitely feeling incredibly awkward then, and she only slowly tried to sink down into the leather chair, crossing her leg over her knee. "I… I just… Sorry…" she mumbled. She'd never really been all that good in social situations, and it was definitely catching up again.

"Whatever," Bickslow muttered into the desk. It didn't matter anymore. It was out, unfortunately, and his day had gotten a whole lot worse. Although now he really was sure it couldn't get any worse at all. Not unless he got home and Lucy decided it would be too weird to still be with him if he was in love with her while she didn't feel the same way. Of course, it would completely suck if they broke up over something like that, but he still really hoped it wouldn't be that bad.

He was still hoping that it would just get swept under the rug and they could pretend it didn't happen at all. Like a lot of other things that were happening that day.

"Um… But…" Erza suddenly broke the more than uncomfortable silence in the room, and she quietly asked, "Are you sure?"

It wasn't exactly like Erza had any problems with Bickslow's relationship with Lucy. In fact, she had to admit that she did kind of like them and there was something weird about them that made them work together, even if she hadn't really seen them actually together at all. But, as much as she could see that they worked, strangely, she knew that they hadn't really been together in that kind of capacity for very long at all, so she couldn't help but wonder if Bickslow had meant what he apparently said.

Surely he couldn't actually love her yet, right?

"Sure about what?" Bickslow groaned into the paper.

"Well, if you say you didn't mean to say it to Lucy, then are you sure that you meant it? Are you… Are you sure that you love her?"

"No doubt about that one," Laxus snorted from his corner.

Bickslow sighed into his desk again. Even if Laxus had decided to join the conversation and no doubt make things worse for himself, he just didn't care. He was truly so far past caring at that point that Laxus' comment didn't matter in the slightest.

So as everyone decided to once again turn their attention to him, only bombarding him with questions about how he'd managed to fall in love with her so quickly (he was just a little glad no one was freaking the absolute fuck out, or Natsu specifically wasn't. Instead, he only focused on how him getting punched in the face felt just a little more justified, strangely), Bickslow quickly began to realise his lack of patience for that day and conversation alone was dwindling rapidly. He had no intentions of even trying to explain that he hadn't exactly fallen in love with her so quickly, because when he was still trying to understand how he'd fallen in love with her and how he had completely missed it, there was no way in hell he could even try making anyone else understand it.

But oh, did Bickslow just want that conversation to be over. He just had to find a way to make it end, just so he could actually get on with his job – not that he ever expected to be thinking that. His friends already knew more than he wanted them to, so was there really any harm in just saying something along the lines of, _'yeah, I'm fucking in love with her, and no, I didn't mean to tell her, so can you all just get the fuck out of my office now?'_ Surely that would be okay… Right? It would give them all the information they needed to get them off his back, and hopefully, give him the peace he needed to completely hate himself and figure out just what he was supposed to do about the entire situation he'd found himself in.

Except when he did finally lift his head from his desk, just to lean on his elbows with his fingers idly running circles over his temples in an attempt to ease his headache, he looked up to see everyone staring at him and awaiting his answers in the silent room. Suddenly, Bickslow was sure that what he wanted to say wouldn't be enough. Not in the slightest.

But… Then his eyes caught the book sitting just to the side, and he only quickly sat up just to pick it up and move it to the opposite side of the desk. "Just read the fucking book, okay?" he said, much to everyone's confusion as Evergreen sat forward to slide the book towards herself. The book was the answer to all things, and it would save him a lot of explaining. Of course, there was still the entire issue where the majority of the book was truly fiction, but it was the underlying moral to the story that was the important part of it.

The part where he'd been in love with her for a really long time. That was what was important, and he was sure it was going to come out at some point anyway. Everyone might as well figure it out on their own with the help of the other Lucy's book. Well, at least he could only hope they'd be smart enough to figure it out. Obviously Lucy hadn't, but he was more than glad for that.

Bickslow couldn't even fathom what he'd do and what would happen if Lucy found out he'd been in love with her before everything had happened, because he was sure it would not end well.

* * *

The closer it got to the time when Bickslow said he'd be home, the more Lucy began to panic. All day, Lucy had been worrying about what would happen when Bickslow got back, because she really didn't want it to get any more awkward than it already was.

She still wasn't sure if Bickslow had meant what he said, and Ingrid had honestly been no help in determining if he actually felt the same way as she did. In fact, she just looked up at her frantic and rambling mother every now and then before she went back to playing with the five wooden dolls scattered around her and just out of her reach for the most part. Lucy liked to think that he meant it, even if he hadn't meant to actually tell her, because if he did love her, then it would really make everything a whole lot easier.

If he loved her, it would make Lucy telling him that she actually loved _him_ a whole lot easier and less stressful, because she really, _really_ wanted to tell him. She'd been finding it increasingly difficult with each passing day not to say it, but she'd refrained because she'd been sure everything would end awkwardly and she'd be hating herself for saying it when Bickslow wouldn't say it back. She'd just wanted to wait until they'd been together for a little longer and she was a little surer of how Bickslow actually felt about her, because without a doubt, telling someone that you love them, only to have them not say it in return, is as awkward and uncomfortable as it could get.

And she'd done exactly that, and she really kind of hated herself for it. Bickslow had told her that he loved her, and she'd just stood there in complete shock, unable to do anything but stare at him and try and figure out if she'd actually heard the words that had come out of his mouth. She could have just said it back and stopped him from freaking out (and wanting to jump out a window before he said anything else), and everything would be okay and she wouldn't be waiting for him to get home just so she could finally tell him how she felt.

Once she did that, all would be okay again. She wouldn't be freaking out and hating herself for being painfully silent that morning, and hopefully, Bickslow would stop being an awkward mess, because that's what he had been when he'd rushed out the door that morning.

So when she heard the keys in the door at a quarter to six, Lucy's chair slid back from the table, leaving Ingrid in the highchair, and she quickly went over to the door as Bickslow slowly pushed it open. Before he could even get into the apartment though and close the door behind himself though, he had Lucy's hand at the back of his neck and then her lips were on his, and he sure as hell had not been expecting it.

But, as great as kissing Lucy was, and he really would love to get home every day and be greeted by that before he could even close the damn door behind himself, he knew there was most definitely something going on, and after what he'd said that morning, he was sure that whatever was going on was related to that. So only after slowly walking Lucy back into the apartment just enough so he could actually get the door closed did Bickslow finally pull free (just a little reluctantly, if he had to be perfectly honest).

"Okay, Lu—"

"I love you," Lucy said quickly before Bickslow could even get the rest of her name out. She'd needed to say it, despite how it made her heart jump into her throat, and she really couldn't help feel just a little nervous suddenly.

Bickslow wasn't happy about hearing those words though. Not at all. Any other day, he would have loved to hear her say those words, but on that day, he really didn't like it at all. Her saying that she loved him just made him feel worse about it all, because now, it meant they actually had to talk about it and he couldn't just forget about it and move on like he'd wanted to. Ignoring the way his chest seemed to hurt from wanting Lucy to mean it, he could only quickly turn to push past her as he muttered, "You don't have to say it."

Lucy's eyes followed Bickslow as he dropped one of the bags in his hand on the counter – the one with dinner he'd promised to pick up – before his satchel was dropped on the chair at the desk like it always was, before he quick turned and went down the hall. Lucy was more than a little confused right then. It wasn't supposed to go that way; she was supposed to feel happy and not like she'd made a huge mistake and was the biggest idiot in the room.

"Yes, I do," she said slowly, her arms folding across her chest as she turned to follow him down the hall. "And I wanted to say it, because I meant it."

"No, you don't," he sighed. He was still refusing to actually look at her as he pulled his jacket off and slid the wardrobe door open. He knew that she was standing just inside the doorway, but it didn't matter. Keeping his eyes forward to the rows of suits in front of him as he quickly began to loosen the knot in his tie, he said quietly, "You can't mean it because you can't fall in love with someone that quickly."

And that's what it came down to for Bickslow. He didn't believe that Lucy could truly love him. Not then and not yet, anyway. They hadn't been together long enough for that. Or at least, Bickslow didn't believe she could be, but it wasn't exactly like he was a know-it-all when it came to all things related to relationships. If anything, he was quite literally the last person in the entire world anyone should ever come to for relationship advice – he was convinced Ingrid would give better dating advice than he would.

But, what he did know, was that it was impossible for Lucy to actually love him. He really, really wished she did, just because it would make things easier, but he knew things weren't like that. Things weren't easy right then and it was his big mouth that had things that way. If he hadn't let those two stupid words slip out, then Lucy wouldn't have felt the need to say them back. Maybe it was all in an attempt to make him feel better about it, even if it meant saying something like that when she didn't mean it – that was something she would do, he figured. That was just the kind of person Lucy was.

It didn't mean that it didn't hurt, because it did. It just happened to hurt Lucy a whole lot more, and she only felt increasingly more stupid and heartbroken with each second. "So then you didn't mean it when you said it this morning," she whispered.

Bickslow finally looked at Lucy then, and in the split second it took to realise that he was actually hurting her, he was quickly turning away from the wardrobe just to be in front of her. "No. Fuck, Lucy," he said quickly, a hand reaching up to gently tilt her head up so she was actually looking at him. "I meant it. I do." Hell, practically everyone else had found out he loved her, so at that point, he really didn't care that he was telling Lucy. Besides, he'd technically already told her.

Lucy only shook her head, and she stepped back just so Bickslow's hand fell away. "You couldn't have meant it." Just as Bickslow's brows drew together as he quickly grew frustrated and confused, she turned, and as she went back down the hall, she only shrugged and said, "Like you said, you can't fall in love with someone that quickly."

"Lucy, it's not that simple. I didn't—"

"It's incredibly simple, actually," Lucy shot back. "You seem to think it's perfectly acceptable for you to fall in love with me quickly, but you refuse to believe that I could actually love you, even though I just told you, and I told you that I meant it. What isn't simple about that?"

"Because I was already in love with you before any of this even happened, okay?" he nearly shouted, only to instantly regret it as soon as the words had left his mouth. Telling Lucy that he loved her was one thing, but telling her that he'd been in love with her for a while was something else entirely, and he really hadn't intended ever telling her that. It was weird on so many levels to begin with, considering they'd rarely talked until they'd found themselves in that world as it was.

There was an upside though. At that point, Bickslow was sure things couldn't get any worse. He hated himself, Lucy probably hated him, Ingrid was probably on the verge of starting to cry because they were suddenly yelling at each other, and Bickslow was almost convinced he'd just unintentionally sabotaged one of the best things in his life.

"What?" Lucy whispered. She didn't understand what Bickslow had just said. Not entirely, anyway. "I don't…"

"Look, it doesn't matter, alright?" he sighed, just as he lifted up Ingrid and pulled her in against his chest. "I meant what I said before, now can we just drop it?"

"Bickslow, that's exactly why I can't just drop it!" She didn't know why Bickslow couldn't understand that – how was Lucy supposed to just drop the entire thing when he literally just stands in front of her and basically tells her that he loves her, but he won't even begin to believe that she could feel the same way, and all just because they hadn't been together long enough?

"Lucy, please. I don't want to talk about this right now. Or ever, actually."

And strangely enough, those were actually the words that hurt Lucy the most, and she really couldn't do anything about the pain that was suddenly making itself known in her chest. She hated it though. Truly. And more than anything, she didn't understand why Bickslow was being the way he was. Why didn't he want to talk about it? Why was he so set on avoiding something that was a problem when it really shouldn't be one at all?

The only problem was that Lucy just didn't even want to find out the answers to those questions right then, especially when she was sure Bickslow obviously wasn't willing to give them up. She was honestly just too tired right then and far too frustrated with Bickslow to even begin to try and have an actual conversation with him. Part of her just didn't want to get hurt any more than she already was too, because she was sure that's what would end up happening if she forced Bickslow to talk, and she really did not want to have to force him to talk.

So she wouldn't. She wouldn't make Bickslow talk, and she sure as hell would not talk to him. She needed to talk to someone, and even though her first choice had quite obviously just blown up in her face, she had to go to someone else. Thankfully, that someone else just happened to live two floors above her and was far away enough from Bickslow so she could actually think. And cry. Both, really.

Shrugging, she only slowly began to step backwards, only after sliding her phone from the counter and into her hand before picking up the keys from where Bickslow had dropped them on the end table by the door. "You don't want to talk about this?" she said far too softly and as calmly as possible; she'd found the calmer and understanding she sounded in those kinds of situations, the more she scared whoever she was talking to. Natsu and Gray had definitely learnt that the hard way. "Fine. We won't talk. We won't talk about anything at all if that's what you really want."

"Hey, Lucy, come on." He watched as she slowly pulled the door open, and with each tiny step she took out into the hall, the more it hurt to watch. It didn't matter that he knew she'd be back. He just didn't want her to leave at all. "Please, don't leave," he pleaded. He would do anything to get her to stay, even if it meant talking about it all. Not that he really knew what to say. "If you want to tal—"

"Nope. No talking," she cut him off. "You don't want to talk about how you think you know how I feel better than I do myself, and right now, I just don't have anything else to say to you. No talking. Just like you wanted, right?"

And just like that, the door was gently pulled closed behind her and the full force of the situation finally hit Bickslow. He'd screwed up to begin with, but he'd really just made things a whole lot worse for himself. When he'd thought about all the worst case scenarios when he'd been at work and sitting through the boring as all hell meetings with people who still hated him and judged him for the entire affair thing, more so now that it had somehow gotten around that Lucy was pregnant (it was warranted, but it was annoying), he'd never really expected things to get that bad. Bickslow was almost certain Lucy breaking up with him would have been a better turn of events, just because it was clean and it was neat and it was definite.

Right then though, Bickslow just had no idea what was going on. He knew Lucy was more than mad at him and he knew he really deserved it because he could see that he'd hurt her, and he could see that she obviously needed her space or just to get away from him for a little while, but he just didn't know where they stood. Was that it for them? Bickslow couldn't help but wonder if it was.

But as he sat there on the chair, staring at the wall opposite him where only one photo hung – one of Ingrid that had been taken when Claire had looked after her for the day to let himself and Lucy rest – he found himself wishing that he still had his magic. More so than ever, really. If magic was still alive in that world, then he'd have his babies, and he'd have them in his head telling him how stupid he was for screwing everything up. They'd help him get his thoughts in order and they'd get him to see everything the way he should have always seen things.

That's what he loved them for, because they had always been enough to make him realise his mistakes. But then, he didn't have them, and Bickslow was only just realising how much he missed that. Right then, Bickslow didn't know how to gets his thoughts in order and be able to see everything the way he should have always been seeing it, because he'd never really had to do it alone.

But he had to do it alone. He had to find a way to do it alone, because none of it was worth losing Lucy. He had to find a way to get her to forgive him and understand everything, even though half of it he didn't understand himself. He just had to, because he loved her and he loved being with her. More than she knew.

* * *

When Gajeel came out of the shower, he'd expected to find Levy on the lounge with either a book or one (or both) of the twins if they'd decided to wake up and be a giant pain in his ass. It was frustrating as all hell when they cried, but Levy did a much better job of calming them down than he did, and she could always get them back asleep much faster than he ever could.

What he didn't expect to find though, was a blonde crying on his lounge, and Levy doing her best to console a grown woman rather than a newborn. But, seeing Lucy on his lounge and crying, Gajeel quickly realised that she was crying because of her idiotic boyfriend he called his best friend (apart from his cat who was definitely not as fun as a normal feline). He couldn't help but feel a little curious as to why Lucy was crying though.

So slowly, Gajeel moved down into their warm living room after checking in on the twins (who were thankfully asleep and would hopefully stay that way for a couple more hours), and he quietly sat down on the armchair as he picked his phone up from the table that sat between the lounges. He continued to listen to Lucy going on about how she was stupid and Bickslow was stupid – though Gajeel could only see the latter as being warranted – as he silently opened up his messages, just to open up his conversation with Bickslow before quickly typing out a message.

 **_Why is Bunny crying on my lounge? What the hell did you do?_**

 ****As soon as it was sent, he dropped his phone to his lap and he went back to listening to the women on his lounge. It was only after Lucy continued to splutter about how Bickslow was an idiot and she couldn't understand why he wouldn't just talk to her, Levy tried to tell her he just needed to realise what he'd done, and after Bickslow replied with 'something stupid' did Gajeel realise he was totally lost and there was more to the story that he really wanted to know.

When there was a break in the crying and ice-cream eating (which he did not entirely understand why it was necessary), with Levy only holding her best friend as she cried on her shoulder, Gajeel quietly cleared his throat and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Levy sighed as she continued to rub the blonde's back, and knowing that Lucy wasn't exactly going to be able to get an answer out, she did so for her. "Bickslow told her that he loves her before he went to work, and then Lucy told him that she loves him when he got back this evening. Except Bicks is being stupid and he doesn't believe that Lucy actually loves him because he thinks it's way too early for that. Which, it kind of is, but that's not the point." She paused just as she felt Lucy shrug – the blonde knew too well she'd fallen for Bickslow far too quickly, but she hadn't been able to help it. With another sigh, Levy continued, "So now they're fighting about it all because Bicks wants to ignore it all and he doesn't want to talk about how he was apparently in love with her before any of it happened or something, but Lucy wants to talk. So yeah. That's what happened."

"Right," Gajeel muttered. Not only was he completely convinced that Bickslow was a moron, but he was also convinced Lucy was being a bit of an idiot too. Just a little bit, though. But, that wasn't what was important, and he wasn't exactly going to straight out call an obviously upset – and pregnant – woman an idiot.

He was, however, going to try his best to carefully help her understand a couple of things. Or at least get her close to understanding, just so she could get off his lounge so he could go back to killing Natsu and Gray over and over in his online shooting games. He picked up his phone again then though and went back to his conversation with Bickslow, and he quickly typed out another message.

 ** _You're a bigger idiot than Salamander.  
How long?_**

 ****He had to call him out on being an idiot. Lucy, no way, but Bickslow? Idiot wasn't harsh enough, but it would suffice. Besides, he could tell the former Seith mage was already well aware of how much of a moron he was being with the entire thing, and as much as he loved really pissing off the guy, just because Bickslow was his best friend and that's what they did, Gajeel sensed that the guy really didn't need to feel any worse than he probably already was.

That, and he really wanted to know how long the man had been in love with her, because even though it had quite obviously gone over Lucy's head (or at least it looked like it had), Gajeel had quickly understood it. He had to admit that he was more than curious about that though, considering Bickslow had never even really said anything about liking her, and Gajeel had asked that on multiple occasions just because of how much he'd seen Bickslow attempt to hit on her (or piss her off. He couldn't tell sometimes).

So before Bickslow could even respond to that message, Gajeel turned his attention to Lucy, and he carefully began, "I'm not exactly on anyone's side here, because I have no interest in actually gettin' involved, but… You do realise Bicks is a guy, right? Guys don't like talking 'bout their feelings and all that. Get him drunk and he won't shut up though, so if you wanna talk to the guy, give him somethin' to drink."

"But I shouldn't have to do that just to get him to talk to me for five minutes," Lucy whispered. "We shouldn't have to talk about it at all, but he's just being so _frustrating_."

"Well, I dunno," he shrugged. "Why don't ya just kiss the guy and skip the entire talking thing or somethin'? Win-win for everyone?"

Levy sighed. "She technically tried that already."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he picked up his phone again. He'd already run out of ideas in an attempt to be helpful. "You two are just fuckin' ridiculous," he muttered under his breath. "Fighting about being in love with each other. Wow." His best friend was quite possibly the biggest moron in the entire world because he didn't want to talk or even listen to his own girlfriend, and Lucy was just avoiding the entire situation (that shouldn't be a situation at all) just as much as he was. They were both being far too stubborn for their own good, and because of it, he was missing out on shooting people and blowing things up.

He looked down to the phone again as it vibrated, and he read the message on the screen.

 ** _Too long.  
Does she hate me? _**

****So obviously, Bickslow knew exactly what Gajeel had meant when he'd asked how long, and a simple answer was enough. But did Lucy hate Bickslow? Gajeel didn't think so. Sure, she was a little mad at the guy and more than a little frustrated with him, but Gajeel could see that as being just a little warranted. Still, if she truly loved him like she said she did – and like Bickslow refused to believe – then she didn't hate him.

Not that Gajeel would tell Bickslow that. Oh no. He would let the guy suffer until he came to his senses, just because he was his friend. Hopefully though, that would be by the time Lucy did the same and she went home, just so she could go sort out the ridiculousness that was whatever they were doing.

For now, though, Gajeel was just going to put his phone on silent and listen to the blonde cry and bitch about her idiotic boyfriend. He figured it should prove to be at least a little entertaining for a while.

* * *

By the time Lucy got back, feeling just a little unwell from eating far too much ice-cream and way too many chocolate chip cookies (not that she regretted a single one of those cookies, or a single scoop of ice-cream), she was also feeling just a little guilty. She was still frustrated with him, but she felt just a little bad. Maybe leaving hadn't been such the best idea. Maybe she should have stayed and listened to what Bickslow had been willing to say, or maybe she really should have just dropped it.

She knew she'd overreacted just a little bit, but that was only because it had hurt. The first time she tells anyone other than her best friends or her family than she loves them, and it goes horribly, _horribly_ wrong. But she still felt the need to apologise, just because she'd already come to realise she hated fighting with Bickslow. She would apologise for overreacting and storming out like she had if it meant things could go back to being somewhat normal.

As she walked into the apartment and got closer to Ingrid's room, she could hear Bickslow's soft voice coming from inside as he read to Ingrid. It was a lot later (or only really an hour as it turns out) than what she was usually in bed by, but it didn't matter in the slightest. As she walked past the door, she glanced in to see Bickslow on the chair in one corner with Ingrid on his lap as he held the book in front of her, and as he looked up for a second while turning the page, a soft smile quickly graced her lips, and then she looked back down to the ground as she walked down to their room.

Bickslow had heard her come home, but he'd half expected her to completely ignore him at least until morning. And, he knew he'd deserve it. Bickslow was painfully aware of how much he'd screwed up – not by telling her that he loved her that morning, but it was with everything else he'd said. If she hated him, he would only hate himself more, and part of him expected that she did.

He knew he needed to apologise though. He would apologise a million times and then some if he thought saying it more than once would help, because he needed to tell her that he was sorry for everything else he'd said. He wanted to talk about it all, even though he was more than terrified of explaining something that was more than a little weird and he was a little worried about it just causing more problems. But, he had to do it, and only if Lucy wanted to listen.

If Lucy didn't want to talk about any of it anymore and sort everything out, then he wouldn't talk about it. He would keep it all to himself and deal with how fucking miserable it would make him to know that he'd truly ruined one of the best parts about his life.

But, he still had a little bit of hope. Bickslow wanted to believe that Lucy would forgive him for hurting her, because he knew that he had, and that she would let him explain everything. He wanted to believe that she still loved him, because he knew she had meant it. It had taken Bickslow two hours of talking to a seven month old to get everything in order in his head, but he did it. Eventually. It didn't matter that he really didn't have any idea as to how she'd managed to fall in love with him that quickly, because Bickslow knew she didn't lie. She always meant what she said, but he'd forgotten that when he really shouldn't have. If he'd just believed her, none of it would have happened and they wouldn't be fighting.

So as soon as he'd finished the last few pages of the book he'd been reading to Ingrid and he'd put her down for bed, he slowly went down to the end of the hall. Lucy was sitting on the edge of the bed when he got there, looking down to her hands in her lap, and silently, Bickslow sat down beside her and crossed his legs beneath himself as he looked down to his own hands. The silence that followed was almost deafening. Both had things they needed to say, but neither wanted to be the one to break the silence. The seconds felt impossibly long and each one made things feel worse.

But then Bickslow looked to the side when he couldn't take the silence any longer, and quietly, he asked, "Can we talk?"

"I didn't think you wanted to," Lucy mumbled, continuing to stare down at her hands.

"I didn't," he admitted as he looked back down to his crossed legs again. "But… Now I do. I need to. If you don't want to though, then we won't. I get it."

Lucy only briefly glanced to the side. Part of her was glad that Bickslow wanted to talk now, but she couldn't help but feel worried about what it was he wanted to say. It wasn't about Lucy not wanting to talk about any of it, because she still did; she knew they needed to. She was just a little scared. With a quiet sigh, she began, "I do, I just… I just need to say something first." No matter what, there were things she needed to get out, just in case she couldn't say them later.

She waited until Bickslow nodded, and then after another short moment where she did her best to just push all of her fear aside, she began again, "I want to apologise for overreacting before. I… I shouldn't have acted like that, and I probably shouldn't have left like I did, but… I did, and I'm sorry." She only paused for another brief moment, and before Bickslow could say anything, she said just as quietly as before, "And I know that you don't believe me, but I do love you. I know that I probably shouldn't because it really hasn't been long at all, but… I do. I meant it, and I just needed to say it again because I really wish you would just believe me."

"I do believe you," Bickslow said quickly. "I believe you, and… And I'm sorry that I didn't before, because if I had, then I wouldn't have made things worse and we wouldn't be fighting about it, and I really, _really_ hate that we are at all."

"Me too," she whispered, just the smallest of smiles on her lips from Bickslow finally believing her.

Bickslow sighed as he continued to stare down at his hands. He really was not looking forward to what he had to say, but he still knew he had to say all of it, no matter how uncomfortable it made him. But just knowing that Lucy did love him and she didn't hate him (or at least he didn't think she did) was in the back of his head and reminding him that talking was a good idea. He had to, because it was the only way to fix things, and that was what he needed to do. He'd screwed things up, and he had to gets everything back to normal while he still could.

So when the silence and seconds became impossibly uncomfortable and long again, he finally decided to open his mouth and just get it all out there. "When I said it this morning, I meant it. I really didn't mean to say it, but I still meant it, because I love you. A lot. And I've been in love with you for a while, but I'm so useless and terrible when it comes to things like this that I didn't even realise that I had been for way longer than I thought until I read that stupid book."

"… The book?" Lucy asked as she finally looked to Bickslow. Maybe it was because she was tired, or maybe it was because Bickslow wasn't making all that much sense, but whatever the case, she was just a little confused by what Bickslow was saying.

"Your book," he said. "Turns out not all of it is entirely fiction. Or it's just one giant coincidence or something. I don't even know, just like I didn't even know that I was already in love with you until I read the thing."

Lucy couldn't keep the smile off her face as she slowly pieced it together in her head, and she was suddenly forgetting just how frustrated and hurt she was. "So you loved me before any of this even happened?" she whispered, fighting the urge to just sit up slightly and throw her arms around him.

Bickslow nodded. "Apparently. I just always thought it was something else, because I guess I always cared about you and I didn't want to hurt you again, even though both times we ever fought, you totally kicked my ass. I just didn't think it was even possible for me to actually be in love with you, let alone like you, because we didn't even talk or anything," he said quickly just as he brought his legs up and kept his ankles crossed, resting his arms over his knees. "But I didn't even want you finding out about any of this, because it's weird and none of it really makes any sense, but I have to tell you because me not wanting to talk about anything was what caused all of this in the first place, and I'm really sorry. For all of it. I didn't want to hurt you again, and I know that I did."

"It's okay… But you know, I think all of this was because of you anyway."

"I know. I fucked up. I don't even know why you thought you needed to apologise either, because I was being an idiot and—"

"That's not what I mean," she laughed quietly, only to get a look of total confusion from Bickslow when he finally turned to face her again. "I mean all of this. Everything. Being here."

He only blinked at her as his brow creased, before he mumbled, "Alright, I'm totally lost now." Something was his fault, and he really didn't know what it was. But it was just as Lucy was about to start talking did they hear a cry coming from just down the hall, and both their trains of thought were halted. Without a word though, their conversation temporarily ceased, and Ingrid's crying only managed to get louder as they sat there and waited for her to soothe herself.

But Bickslow knew it wasn't going to happen, and so did Lucy. Ingrid was never fussy when it came to going to sleep, but that day, Lucy had had more than a little trouble with her. Even when it came to her naps, she wasn't falling asleep, and both times Lucy had given up and just held her until she'd fallen asleep – and it worked out, because she got at least a little bit of rest). What it was that had her in such a bad mood that day though (though Lucy noticed it had only been as soon as Bickslow had left, too, which she found just a little frustrating), Lucy just didn't know.

So when Bickslow was convinced she wasn't going to stop crying any time soon, he quickly got up from the bed and went back down the hall and into the bright yellow nursery. Ingrid had never been one for crying all that much, as far as they knew, but on the occasions she did, Bickslow hated it. He loathed the sound, just because she was usually always really happy, and that was something they both loved. And even when she did cry, they could tell what it was about and they could quickly get her back to the smiling and giggling baby they adored. But right then though, Bickslow had no idea whatsoever, and that was something he definitely did not like.

What he did know (and like) though, was that she seemed to calm down considerably as soon as he was holding her and had walked around the room a few times. Bickslow could still tell that something was irritating her and that she really didn't seem all that tired, which he thought was just a little strange, but he would just have to see how she went before he began to worry if there was actually something wrong.

By the time Bickslow came back down the hall, Ingrid still in his arms, Lucy was lying back on the bed, slightly curled up and with her head on her pillows. Walking around to his own side of the bed, he gently placed Ingrid down in front of Lucy, and he smiled when Lucy's hand went out to rest over Ingrid. "So…" he began, carefully settling himself on the bed on the other side of Ingrid. "What exactly were you blaming me for?"

"I wasn't blaming you for anything," she said softly as a warm heat crept onto her cheeks. "I was just thinking… Maybe you being in love with me before any of this happened is why things are like this. You know, maybe it's why you and I are together and married in this world…"

Bickslow had to admit that considering all things, it did kind of make sense. Mira and Laxus had been together in what had been called Magnolia 1.0, Gajeel and Levy had sort of been together, Lisanna had always kind of liked Natsu, and then everyone else who had ended up together or remained together… Maybe it really was why _they_ were together in that world. Maybe they'd found themselves in that entire situation together because he'd been in love with her the entire time? That, Bickslow actually wanted to believe. He'd always wondered just why it had been Lucy, but what if that was why?

"Maybe," he murmured. "But why exactly aren't you completely freaking out right now? Or hating me? You should be at least freaking out a little bit considering I basically just said I always loved you… And yeah, I really did just say the exact same thing as I did in your book." It wasn't all that intentional though. He had quickly come to realise that it was true, but it sounded incredibly stupid. But Bickslow had also quickly realised it was worth feeling stupid over saying it, just because it made Lucy laugh.

"Because I just don't care," she answered. She didn't think it was all that weird, and she really liked it for some reason. "Besides, I realised that I was falling in love with you on your birthday, and then that I actually had when you were in Crocus."

"That was… Wow, my birthday was nearly a month ago."

"I know."

Bickslow was almost dumbfounded. Happy, and also incredibly amazed. He was only just coming to terms that Lucy loved him. She actually loved him. That fact he'd managed to get her to fall for him way too quickly was completely irrelevant. He just wanted to know how it had happened. "… How?"

"Are you really asking me that?" she asked, her lips only twitching slightly in amusement.

"I might be," he chuckled. Could he even ask that? He was so completely hopeless when it came to anything close to relationships and he was still figuring it all out as he went. "You know, and why, because I mean, I'm me, and you're you, and just…" Oh, he was just far too excited then, and he was more than happy with everything that he just didn't know what to do with himself. All he could think of was just to lean forward and over Ingrid and just kiss Lucy, and as soon as he did, he was sure he could never get sick of that. So when he pulled away, he said the only words that were floating around his head at that point. "I love you."

Lucy just found it all entertaining though. She'd come to find how Bickslow's moods could change so quickly more than interesting, and he truly was far too adorable when he had his moments where he got just a tad excited. But… As for why she loved Bickslow, well… Lucy had realised it just came down to Bickslow being who he was. That's just how simple it was for her. "I love you too," she whispered, and to say it when she knew that he finally believed her had her feeling happier than she had all day. That was how she'd wanted to feel when she'd said it earlier, but she would take it then. "And I love you because you're amazing. And you're a dork."

"I've never been prouder to be a dork," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes as she moved closer to Bickslow, Ingrid still between them. "And that's exactly why I love you," she sighed, lifting her head just enough to rest by his shoulder as he moved. "Gajeel says we're ridiculous by the way."

"We kind of are though."

"Just a little bit," she giggled. "But you know this was our first actual fight right? You know, as a couple. And it really was completely ridiculous." Of course, she was still more than glad that it was over and everything was back to being great (more than great, really). But still, their first fight had been over something completely idiotic. She was very grateful that it had come to an end very quickly too.

He laughed when he realised Lucy was right though. He knew that it was his fault, and he felt more than a little guilty over it happening at all, but he couldn't help but find the amusement in how their first fight had been because he was refusing to talk about being in love with her. But, he realised it was a ridiculousness only they could pull off, and that's what made it so great, considering the circumstances. "More than a little ridiculous. But… There is an upside to fighting…"

Knowing Bickslow, Lucy could tell exactly where he was going with it, and so when she looked up, she wasn't the least bit surprised to see that mischievous smirk in place. She loved how things were going back to normal so quickly. Far too much. "And what exactly is that?" she asked coyly.

"Make-up sex is a thing."

 _And there it is…_ "Not tonight, it's not."

"I know," he chuckled. "But this is so much better anyway." Make-up cuddling with his girlfriend and daughter was definitely better than anything. Or at least, it would be for the next seventeen days. "But hey… Quick question…"

"Mm-hmm."

"You're still my partner in crime, right?"

Lucy could only smile playfully as she closed her eyes, and then she murmured, "For now."


	29. Chapter 29

"So, what are your plans for today?" Bickslow asked as he walked into their living room, looking to the blonde sitting on the floor in front of the lounge.

Lucy kept her eyes focused on Ingrid who was only staring intently at the wooden tiki sitting closer to Lucy and only a little out of her reach. "Well," she began, still looking to Ingrid and hoping she'd test herself and move just that little bit forward. "I was going to go shopping later for groceries, and then buy a dress for the gala on Friday. And then I was maybe thinking about starting to write something again since I haven't for a while, and I thought it would give me something else to do when Ingrid's asleep."

In truth, the more Lucy read, the more she missed writing, and she'd been reading a lot those days. She'd spent so much of her free time in their old world just writing and working on her novel, and ever since everyone had found themselves in that world, she hadn't put pen to paper once – or, her fingers to the keys.

She'd found a notebook in the desk drawer just a few days earlier that was filled with ideas and fleeting thoughts her other self had scribbled down. On her computer, she'd found countless documents with scenes half written out, and some had been scrapped ideas for _Fantasia_. Or at least, that's what she'd thought they'd been. There were plenty she hadn't read yet though.

Even though she had no intentions of actually using any of those ideas or what her other self had already written, she just wanted to write something. She could still, of course, use them for inspiration if it came down to it, but she didn't know quite what her mind would come up with. She was sure she'd be able to think of something if she found the time though.

"As long as I get to read whatever it is you write once you're done with it," Bickslow said as he walked around to the lounge as he done up the band for his watch around his wrist.

"It wouldn't be that good, even if I did manage to think of anything to write."

"Come on, it would be amazing. I've read your work, remember? It's great."

Lucy shrugged as Bickslow sat down on the lounge behind her and next to her. "You've only read that book, and _I'm_ not even the one who really wrote it," she mumbled. " _I'm_ not that good of a writer."

He leant forward with his elbows on his knees, and he smiled when Lucy turned back to look at him with just a frown. "Well, I'll be the judge of that, okay? I'm sure you're better than you think," he said softly.

"I'd expect you to be a little biased, so I don't think you'd be the best judge," she laughed, if only quietly. Even though she was the most critical of her work (something Levy had told her she had no reason to be on several occasions), she just couldn't help it. But, Bickslow had made her feel just a little bit better about her writing and herself. She'd only only ever shown her work to Levy, never to anyone else, but she would show Bickslow if he really wanted to see it. Well, she would eventually.

"Maybe so, but I still genuinely believe everything about you is great," he replied as he leant forward just to quickly kiss her cheek. "Including your writing."

"Okay, you're extremely biased, Bicks," she laughed again.

"It doesn't count if it's the truth."

"Biased."

He rolled his eyes as he looked down to his watch on his wrist, and he slid forward to be crouching down in front of the lounge instead. "Just a little biased then," he chuckled. "But… I've gotta go. Master Makarov is coming in for a meeting first thing this morning so I really can't be late today." He wasn't exactly going to tell Lucy what that meeting was about though. Not until later.

Lucy nodded as he went to Ingrid first, just ducking his head to lightly kiss the top of her head. "Do you think you'll be finishing earlier or later today?" she asked.

"Probably a bit later today since I didn't really get much work done yesterday, but I'll see how things go." His previous day at work had truly been less than productive. It wasn't like he'd ever particularly done that much at work (most of the time he spent messaging either Gajeel or Lucy about completely random things), but when he'd been able to think of nothing but Lucy and what he'd said that morning, he'd done even less.

But… Now everything was more than perfect, and as much as it pained him to even think about it, he was actually going to be able to get some work done that day. It didn't help that he did have a lot to do considering he'd been out for a few weeks and he hadn't been able to do all that much at home. Of course, he still wished he could spend more time at home with Lucy and Ingrid, but he knew he couldn't.

Stepping back around Ingrid, he crouched back down next to Lucy and lifted a hand to cup her cheek as his lips pulled up into a wide grin. "You know what's awesome though?" he asked as he slowly began to lean forward. He didn't even give Lucy a chance to answer (though she was already pretty sure of what it was) before he said, "I get to tell you I love you without wanting to throw myself off the top of a building. So… I love you."

And Bickslow truly loved that. Even though they'd only sorted everything out the night before, it felt great to be able to actually tell Lucy that he loved her. A lot. It was almost as great as knowing that Lucy loved him, and that was something that could have him grinning like the idiot he was for far too long. Of course, he had been doing that, and Lucy had called him out on it the previous night and called him a dork. Again. But Bickslow didn't care. He was too fucking happy to care about anything. It didn't help that he was still trying to figure out just how it had happened at all, because how Lucy had fallen for him was more of a mystery as to how they'd all found themselves waking up in a new world.

"I love you too," she whispered, right before his lips finally descended to hers and her smile was almost lost as they moved over one another for just the shortest of moments. She'd found that she could very well spend all day with her mouth on his, and as much she really did want to sometimes, she knew she couldn't do that. They had responsibilities – a seven-month old, Bickslow's job – that came first.

So as Bickslow finally began to rise to stand, their lips pulling apart the higher he got, she was just a little relieved. Strangely. "But seriously though," she began again, only scooting over to the side to get closer to Ingrid and hand her another one of the totems. "Don't go throwing yourself off any buildings or anything. Ever. Because if you die, I'm just going to have to find a way to bring you back so I can yell at you for even thinking about leaving me, just before I push you off again myself for being stupid."

The fact of the matter remained that she still needed Bickslow. He was the one who had held her together and stopped her from completely falling apart, the one to reassure her and tell her everything would be okay every time she'd needed to hear it and far too many times to even count. Bickslow was the sole reason she was even remotely close to being okay – even when she was more than fine, especially with the way things were then – and she truly didn't know what she would do without him.

Of course there was still the issue where he'd also been the one to get her knocked up (well, sort of. It was _his_ DNA, so it counted) and there was just no way in hell Lucy was going to let Bickslow leave her when she was almost three months pregnant and already had a kid to look after. Even if he'd meant it as a joke (she hoped, at least), she needed to get her point across.

Bickslow could only grin at her as he turned to look over his shoulder before he reached the door again, his phone in hand and messenger bag over his shoulder. Sure, his girlfriend was just a little scary with her threat of pushing him off a building for dying (not that it made any sense, but he wasn't going to question that), but he could still see she wasn't deadly serious. Or at least, not really.

Sort of.

"Don't worry, Cosplayer," he smirked. "I wouldn't even dream of leaving you any time soon." _Or at all, at this point._ But Bickslow wasn't going to tell her that part. Oh no.

She nodded. "Good. Now go to work before you're late."

"You really like getting rid of me, don't you?" She shrugged and Bickslow only shook his head with a smirk before he slowly pulled the door open. "Well, I'll see you tonight," he said quickly. "Love you, baby." And only getting a hum in response with Lucy having gone back to being preoccupied with Ingrid, Bickslow pulled the door closed behind him.

Only to find Laxus leaning on the wall just opposite his apartment door when he turned around.

It wasn't actually that surprising, considering he was going into work with Laxus, instead of getting a taxi since Lucy was using the car that day, just so he could make sure he was actually there on time. Of all days, it was the one time Bickslow really needed to not be late, just because of his meeting with Makarov that he needed to go to. But, Laxus being actually outside his door had been been a little unexpected. He'd thought they'd meet downstairs or in the car park for the building, but not outside his damn apartment.

He cleared his throat as they began to walk down the hall and towards the elevator, and only after a few silent steps did Laxus ask, "So… Can I ask about that?"

"You mean what I just said?" Laxus nodded, and Bickslow only looked towards the dark green carpet beneath his feet as they walked. He expected Laxus – or even Evergreen, maybe – to ask about what was going on with Lucy, after what had happened the previous morning. He had less of a problem talking about it now that everything was sorted out between them, but it still wasn't even close to being something he would just blurt out to everyone.

To Laxus though… Laxus was his best friend and he knew more about everything than anyone else did. Shrugging, Bickslow answered, "We sorted things out last night. We kind of fought because I was being an idiot, but we sorted things out."

"When are you not?"

Bickslow sighed. "It's a fair point, but I was being seriously stupid last night. But we eventually kind of talked about it, and everything is fine and I don't feel like throwing myself out a window anymore." He paused for just a moment as they reached the elevator doors and waited for them to open, then mumbled as his brows drew together slightly, "Not that I'm even allowed to do that, apparently."

Laxus followed Bickslow into the empty elevator before pressing the button for the basement car park, then put his hands in his pockets as he leant back against the metal railing. "So you get to tell her you love her?" he asked, an eyebrow only slightly raised in his curiosity. "Isn't that kind of weird?"

"Why would it be weird? She's my girlfriend, and I love her, a lot, so I'm gonna tell her."

"No, I get that much. I just meant…" Laxus bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down to his crossed ankles. He didn't want to be blunt, but he could see that he had no other choice. "Doesn't it make you uncomfortable to say it if she's not going to say it back?" he finally asked after a moment when Bickslow only looked to him in confusion. Laxus had accepted that Bickslow had somehow been in love with her for a while, and he really wasn't going to dispute his claims to how he felt. But he just couldn't see Lucy feeling the same way. Definitely not yet, anyway, because from what Laxus understood, the two had only really been together for a few weeks – a month at best.

But then Bickslow was grinning at him, and the former Seith mage shrugged again. "It doesn't make me uncomfortable at all," he answered.

It was all the answer Laxus needed too, and just as quickly as he'd understood what his friend was saying, his mouth was suddenly hanging open and he was staring at Bickslow in shock. "Holy fucking shit," he muttered. "Really? She actually loves you? _Already?_ "

"Apparently," Bickslow chuckled. "I don't know how or why, but she does, and it's just amazing."

"Huh. Well, uh… I feel like I should say well done." Laxus just truly didn't know what else to say. On one hand, he was very confused as to how Lucy had managed to fall for the guy, let alone how Bickslow had managed to get her to do it. But on the other hand, he was glad. He'd seen how out of sorts the man had been all day after what had happened the previous morning, and he'd seen that it only got progressively worse the more everyone asked him about it. He had truly been a mess as he stressed about what he'd said, and at the time, Laxus had felt a little sorry for his friend.

But now, Bickslow was back to his usual self. And to no surprise, it was because of Lucy and because she loved him. Laxus could see that that alone would make Bickslow undeniably happy. The woman he was in love with and had been for quite some time – possibly always, according to the book Lucy's other self had written that he hadn't been able to put down all day after he'd had his own assistant go out and find him a copy – loved him back.

Lucy and Ingrid were his family, as well as the twins they had on the way, and Laxus knew as well as everyone else did that he really did love them more than anything. Of course, everyone else was only just beginning to see how much the former Seith mage cared about Lucy in particular, but Laxus had known because Bickslow had told him. If Lucy saw Bickslow the same way he saw her (or even close to that, really), then Laxus was happy for them.

"Thanks… I think," Bickslow laughed, only shaking his head lightly before he cleared his throat. "But um… This meeting," he mumbled, and his grin was instantly lost as they stepped out into the apartment building's car park. "I'm not getting fired, right?" It was why Bickslow hadn't told Lucy what the meeting was about, and that it was specifically for him. Laxus would be there too, because technically, he worked for Laxus and he reported directly to him. But that day, Laxus was only really there for moral support.

Finding out that he'd been summoned to a meeting with the chairman of the company he worked for was not something he needed Lucy stressing about, because it definitely did not sound good. At least not to Bickslow.

"Nah, you're not," Laxus said quickly. "He just wants to talk to you about the last few weeks and all since you're on the board, and given that you're kind of supposed to tell me what's legal and what's not, you're pretty important. Apparently. Gramps just wants to know what was going on. He said he was worried about you and what was going on when I asked him about it."

"Right…" Bickslow mumbled. He didn't doubt the man was actually worried about him, because apparently in that world, he'd been friends with Laxus for a long time. Longer than he had in their original word, at least. They'd gone to high school together, apparently, and as soon as he'd finished college and gotten his degree (apparently in that world, he was a lawyer. He had the certificate on his office wall and all) he'd been offered a job to work for Laxus who was, at that stage, being groomed to take over the company so Makarov could retire.

It was just that Bickslow was actually worried about talking about the last few weeks, because it would mean having to explain everything that had happened with Lucy. It was really all about the missed time and his lack of participation – not to mention his tendency to have outbursts to other morons on the board. "So he just wants to talk," he mumbled again.

"Just talking." As he walked around to the driver's side of his car, and Bickslow to the other side, Laxus added, "I did try getting you out of everything because I know you didn't really have a choice because of Blondie and Ingrid, but it's still kind of a big deal, Bicks."

Bickslow sighed as he climbed up into the leather seat and pulled the door closed, settling himself in the comfortable chair as best he could. No matter how comfortable Laxus' car was, Bickslow knew he wouldn't be until the meeting with Makarov was over. "I know, I get it," he said quietly. He'd already found out that he'd skipped quite a few important steps in the process of getting time off, and Laxus had helped him do it. He was just a little glad things weren't any worse than they were, because he knew they should very well be. "I just don't really like talking about everything with Lucy and the babies. We had to tell her team the other day. Well, she wanted to, but it still kind of sucked to bring it all back up again."

"I know, Bicks. But Gramps is still pretty reasonable. It's just talking, remember? You said so yourself that everything is fine with Lucy and the twins now anyway, so just try and stop worrying about it. You get weirder when you worry and not even I can handle it sometimes."

The corner of Bickslow's mouth pulled up into a smirk. He could always trust Laxus to say something like that on the rare occasions he let it show that he did actually care. Try as Laxus might though, Bickslow knew the former Lightning mage and Dragon Slayer very well, and even though he did his best to make it seem like he didn't care about anything, Bickslow knew he did. Just like Evergreen and Freed did. They knew everything there was to know about him, and they knew that he really did care about those around him a lot more than he let on.

And considering all that had happened in the last couple of months, Bickslow knew that very well. Laxus had done a lot for him, whether it be just being there and being his best friend and listening, or even giving him the much needed time off work with a simple 'trust me'. Bickslow was truly incredibly thankful for it all too, and he did feel just a little bad that he was in just a small spot of trouble with his grandfather and chairman of the company because of it all, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

All Bickslow could do then was sit down with Makarov and Laxus and talk. Talking he could do, even if it would be terrible to have to bring everything up again. He just had to remember that it was just talking. He had no reason to worry, like Laxus had said.

* * *

Lucy came out of the dressing room with yet another dress on, and she looked to Mira sitting on one of the lounges in the store with a frown and awaited her opinion. "So?"

Mira shook her head. "The colour is good, but I don't like the style. Maybe try a one-shoulder gown?" she mused.

"I'll see if I can find one," Lucy sighed. Turning, she walked back into the small changing room just behind her and closed the curtain once again. They'd only been there for half an hour, and Lucy was close to falling asleep. She never would have thought dress shopping would be so difficult, but it was. She'd come to realise that she did in fact have plenty of formal gowns sitting in the wardrobe of the spare room, but of course, none actually fit her. Or if they did, they wouldn't look anything close to flattering on her now that she was just about three months pregnant and looking a lot further along.

Putting the deep red gown back on the hanger it had been on and placing it on the hook with the rest of the ones that Mira or herself had decided were not the right dress for her to wear to the gala on Friday night, Lucy came back out into the small store and went on the search for a one-shoulder dress in the same shade of red as the one she'd just worn. She had to admit that she did like the colour, just because it reminded her of a certain someone's eyes.

She was thankful the women who worked in the store had left them alone, even if they were the only customers in there that afternoon. Lucy didn't think she could handle the stress and frustration of the overbearing shopkeepers. That was something she'd realised within five minutes of walking into the store when they'd proceeded to bombard her with questions of what kind of dress she was looking for, what kind of event she was going to, and of course, how far along she was and how old her daughter was.

Plus, asking if it was a wedding dress she was looking at trying on. She might have been pregnant and she might not wear her ring, but she was technically already married, thank you very much.

She had Mira with her anyway. Mira was more than enough at the best of times, and Lucy had been watching her from the moment she'd come to her apartment before they'd left to go shopping together. Lucy knew she was dying to ask about Bickslow, or more importantly, herself _and_ Bickslow. It was Mira, after all. She just couldn't help herself. Lucy was just waiting for her to bring it up.

"So… How are things between you and Bickslow?"

Lucy smiled to herself as she slowly walked along the clothes racks with countless styles of gowns. _There it is…_ "Things are uh…" She paused as she tried to find the perfect word to describe how things were between them, and then she stopped as she pulled a dress from the hanger. "Things are perfect, actually," she said softly.

She realised that there was just no other way to describe it, because to her, things were perfect. She didn't think things would ever end up like the way they were, but she was more than glad that they had. It was her life now, and she was happy with it. To her, it was perfect, and it had taken her up until that moment to see that it was that. But now that everything had settled down and things were getting better, Lucy could see that her life was, to her, perfect. It just didn't matter how anyone else saw it, because it was her life and it was her life with Bickslow, and right then, she wouldn't change it for anything.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Mira giggled as she squeezed Ingrid in her arms. "You three make the cutest little family, I swear. And oh, the cutest babies! Ingrid is so adorable, and you're going to have two more little ones that are just as adorable as her!"

Lucy laughed quietly at the former barmaid's enthusiasm. "I suppose so."

Mira sat in silence for just another moment, looking down to Ingrid in her lap who was fiddling with a small soft toy and giggling when she dropped it to the ground. She was so precious that Mira almost wished Blake was younger, but at the same time she didn't, because at nearly four, he was a handful to say the least. If she needed her baby fix, she had Ingrid and then Emery and Ellis. If she needed her cuddle fix, well… She had her boys for that. As much as Laxus would hate to admit it, he enjoyed their family cuddle time, as long as no one else knew about it.

She looked back up to see Lucy holding out a dress for her opinion, and she shook her head. Mira didn't need to see it on the blonde to know that it wouldn't quite suit Lucy. Silently watching as Lucy put the dress back on the rack, a frown etched on her lips. Lucy saying things were perfect just wasn't enough for her. She needed more. She needed to know more about her favourite couple of the week… Or month. Or whatever.

"So what is Bickslow like?" Mira asked as the blonde continued her search for a ball gown.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I just mean that he's obviously changed a lot since everything has happened, and you're the one who obviously sees him the most since you live together and are actually _together_ now," Mira said slowly. "None of us have really seen much of him lately, or you two together actually, apart from breakfast last week, but he's definitely different. He almost seems… Happier."

Lucy looked over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised. Had Bickslow really changed as much as Mira thought, and maybe as much as everyone else thought? Lucy had barely even talked to Bickslow before she'd woken up next to him – literally – so she'd really only seen him in that world. She knew that he'd changed, because to an extent, she had _watched_ him change, just like he had watched her change and in more than one way.

But changing, or maybe it was growing, was expected when something like that happened to a person. How could you not change when your entire world and everything that you knew about it was basically taken and turned on its head?

To an extent, they'd had to change. They'd had no choice. They'd had to adapt to their new lives and their new roles, and in that world, it was primarily as parents.

But was Bickslow really all that different? Was _she_ all that different too? In truth, it had been long enough and enough had happened that Lucy had long since stopped paying attention to the way things had changed or even noticing the differences. She just didn't see the point in it much, instead just embracing all of it. There was no point in dwelling on the past, after all.

If Lucy thought about it though, she could see that Bickslow did seem happier. She swore she could remember a conversation not too long ago where Bickslow had said he really was happy with the way things with her. With her, and Ingrid, and the baby turned _babies_. He hadn't expected to be as happy as he was in that world and with that life, especially not so soon, but he was definitely happy. Lucy knew he was, and she knew that she felt the same way.

So maybe they had both changed drastically. But was it a bad thing? Lucy didn't think so. Not in the slightest. Things were truly perfect to her. Ingrid was perfect, being pregnant was perfect (finally), and Bickslow was perfect. With a smile tugging on her lips, Lucy shrugged as she softly said, "I suppose he is." He was especially happy those days, even Lucy had to admit that. Sighing almost dreamily as she continued to slowly browse the dresses, Lucy continued, "He's uh… He's actually really sweet though. And he's really kind, and he's so great with Ingrid that I think he's better with her than I am. And he's just… He's just…"

Mira giggled at the blush that crept onto Lucy's cheeks. "He's just…?"

"He's just amazing, and I really don't know where I'd be right now if it wasn't for Bickslow, especially with everything that's been happening with the twins."

"Aw, he sounds like he's really as full of surprises as he seems," Mira crooned.

Lucy held out a dress to Mira and silently awaited her opinion, and upon received what she had deemed the nod of approval after trying on countless dresses already, Lucy turned and headed back towards the dressing room. Had Bickslow always been full of surprises? Yes, yes he had, and Lucy had realised that pretty quickly. She'd found it more than enjoyable over the months to see the other side to Bickslow though, and he probably enjoyed seeing the side of her that only existed around him too. At that point, Lucy just liked to believe that they brought the best out in each other.

With the curtain closed behind her and the dark red dress sitting on the hook, she quickly began to slip out of her clothes to try the dress on. An almost devilish smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth as she heard Mira quietly talking to Ingrid. "You know… I think Bicks would probably kill me for telling you this," she called out from within the change room, only raising the volume of her voice enough to travel to the lounge that was really only a few feet away from her anyway. "But every night before we go to bed, we usually uh, talk about our days, right? And he does this thing where he'll always rest his head on my belly for a little while. We won't even talk sometimes though. Sometimes I'll just be reading and he'll be there because he says he likes to be close to them, or he'll occasionally just talk to them and tell them they need to stay happy so he can stay happy."

"Oh my goodness. That is so precious! How long has he done that?"

Lucy giggled as she struggled with the dress. "Basically right from when we found out I was pregnant. It's quite adorable, really."

"So adorable." Mira couldn't keep the smile from her face as she pictured the two of them in bed with Bickslow resting on Lucy's belly. She realised her imagination wasn't doing her justice though. Sure, in her head, it was cute as all hell, but the real thing was bound to be a million times cuter. All Mira had to do was find a way to see it… "You two are just so cute together though!" she was gushing suddenly as she looked back down to Ingrid, her mind, for once, not picturing the future babies from her new favourite _ship_. "You're gonna fall in love and it's just going to be so cute!" She was absolutely and positively convinced that if Bickslow were to in fact fall for anyone, it would be Lucy. She just had to wait.

"Uh…"

Mira frowned towards the curtain. "What? You don't think you two will get there?" It had to happen. Mira needed it to happen.

"Well, that's not exactly it…" Lucy slowly came out of the dressing room with her face a colour that probably matched the dress she was wearing. Looking to the confused woman just in front of her, Lucy quietly said, "We're kind of already there…?"

Mira only blinked at her as the words only floated around her head, their meaning not quite setting in yet.

Sighing, Lucy's hands came together in front of her and she looked down to them. "Bickslow told me yesterday that he loves me." She looked up just to see Mira's eyes widen in shock, before she continued with, "And I said it back."

The squeal (if that was what you could call it. Lucy wasn't quite sure since it really just sounded like a high pitched jumbled mess of words that couldn't be formed) that fled Mira's mouth had Lucy wincing slightly. "You did?!" she shrieked, not noticing the way the infant in her arms was wriggling and looking down to the toy she'd once again dropped. "You mean you two are already in love with each other?!"

"Yup."

"When did that even happen? Oh my gosh, this is perfect! You two are just… Gah, I love it so much!"

Lucy laughed at the over excited woman in front of her. She knew she should have expected a reaction like that. It was Mirajane Strauss, after all. "As to when… Well, that's a little complicated." Lucy didn't think Bickslow would appreciate Mira finding out about how he'd apparently felt for a considerably long time. He would never hear the end of it if that happened. Smiling softly as she looked down herself and to the flowing fabric pooling slightly on the ground, she said, "But yeah, it is pretty perfect. Now… What do you think of this dress?"

It only took Mira a few moments, thankfully, to calm down, and only after Lucy took her daughter from Mira's arms to calm her down and get her to stop crying (it was yet another day where the seven-month old was being incredibly fussy for reasons she had yet to determine, but she wasn't crying as much that day… So far) did the former barmaid finally remember what they were there to do in the first place. "Oooh! Yes!"

"Yeah? You like it?" Lucy asked as she did just a little twirl for the white haired woman. Lucy actually adored the dress – the colour was a nice deep red that still made her think of a certain someone's eyes (she had stated on many occasions when she'd been half asleep that she was glad Ingrid got Bickslow's eyes), it had the wide strip of fabric going over one shoulder, and it was most importantly comfortable, even if it was a little heavy with all of the layers in the flowing skirt. Plus, it didn't totally hide her little bump, that wasn't really that little, but it also wasn't tight enough that it was very _incredibly_ obvious. It was still obvious, with the way the fabric cinched under her bust and accentuated the swell of her belly, but that was fine. After all, she was nearly three months along and having twins. She was gonna be showing, and she just didn't really care anymore.

There was literally no way to hide it anymore.

"I love it!" Mira exclaimed excitedly before that frankly terrifying gleam set in her eyes. "And I think Bickslow will love it too."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't keep the blush from tinting her cheeks. Part of her actually hoped that he liked it, even though she knew she probably shouldn't really care about whether or not he did. If she was going to wear that dress to the gala at the end of the week, which she was because she loved the dress and she thought it looked great on her if she had to be perfectly honest, then it would be because she wanted to and because she liked it. Not because Bickslow did, but because she did.

But she still liked to think that he would. She couldn't help but think back to the time where he'd made her put on the damn wedding dress they'd found – and broken the zip on – where he'd been just a little speechless for a short moment from seeing her in it. Even when they hadn't been together and Bickslow hadn't even realised how he really felt, she'd felt incredibly flattered at the time.

Shrugging, she turned to head back into the changing room to take the dress off. "Maybe he will," she said. If anything at that point, she was hoping he would like it now.

* * *

Bickslow sat the laptop down on the kitchen counter and opened it up, then quickly typed in Lucy's password for it and turned to go to the fridge, paying no attention to what was already open on the screen.

His meeting with Makarov and Laxus had gone surprisingly well. It had been a little uncomfortable at times, but he felt incredibly relieved because of it too. Laxus had been right; all Makarov had wanted to do was talk, and that was all they'd done. All Makarov had wanted was to make sure one of his most important employees (how Bickslow could be important, he actually had no idea. From what Bickslow could tell, his team of minions on another floor did most of the lawyering for the company) was doing okay, along with his family.

At first, Bickslow had _reluctantly_ explained the entire situation to Makarov. He hated having to bring up and remind himself of all that had happened with Lucy at first, especially when Laxus was hearing about a good majority of what had actually been going on too. Laxus had only known the bare minimum.

But Bickslow had realised that talking about all of it, now that it was behind them and things were looking up, was a good thing. It had helped him remember that things were okay now.

There had also been another upside to talking to Makarov and Laxus about everything and explaining all of his absences, apart from not getting fired. Makarov was giving him some time off so he could spend some more time with his family, and Bickslow was sure it was the best thing that could've happen that day. He'd be able to finish work a few hours earlier every day, and he'd get the days off when he needed them, whether it was to go to any of Lucy's appointments or to take care of his daughter when Lucy was either having the odd day where she spent more time sitting on the bathroom floor or she just needed some time to get some rest, or for any other reason.

It was great for Bickslow, because the less time he was away from Lucy, the less he stressed about something happening to her, the babies, or even Ingrid when he wasn't there. He would much rather spend just a few more hours of each day with his family than spend it sitting in his office or going to some of his afternoon meetings. The only stipulation to being able to get some time off every day to spend it at home, was that he had to make sure he did his work at home. Bickslow could deal with that.

So when Makarov had said he could have the afternoon off on that day, finishing at two instead of his now usual time of three o'clock, Bickslow had jumped at the chance. Coming home that day though, Bickslow had found himself just a little disappointed that Lucy and Ingrid weren't home, but he figured she was just out shopping like she said she'd be.

It was only when he'd been home for a little over half an hour did he realise that he'd left his laptop at work in his attempt to get home and out of his damn work clothes. Or at least, some of them. Like the tie, and the jacket. The rest he could deal with.

Turning back to the open laptop finally and kicking the fridge shut behind him and twisting the cap from the bottle of water he'd taken out, he finally went to open up the internet browser on the computer to go to his emails. He hadn't actually checked them at all that day, but he knew he had a whole lot of them, and he'd have to respond to at least a few of them. Though, if he had another email from Natsu asking if it was safe to go visit Lucy and not get kicked by her and punched by him, then Bickslow was probably going to respond with something that was less than pleasant.

It was only when Bickslow sat down on the stool in front of the computer and actually looked to what was open did all thoughts of checking his emails go out the window. He almost choked on the water he was trying to swallow when he read the words on the page, and his eyes went wide when he felt his mind completely shutting off and mindlessly reading the words when he couldn't look away.

 _…He watched her writhe under his ministrations, clutching at the sheets and his shoulders, and her head shaking side to side before she sunk her teeth into the pillow. She bit down with so much force to muffle her screams that he feared that she would rip through the fabric of it…_

He just couldn't stop reading the words on the page, and he found himself scrolling down to continue reading what he quickly realised was another _masterpiece_ involving the characters that were essentially based on himself and Lucy in their old world. His pants got tighter with the more he read, and Bickslow was suddenly glad that no one else was there to realise he was getting impossibly turned on by something he couldn't tell _which_ Lucy had written.

Bickslow wasn't even sure what it was he was reading, apart from the obvious where it was the character based on him sleeping with the character based on Lucy, but he loved it. And he was far too enraptured by the words on the screen that he was only pulled from his daze when he heard his front door opening.

He quickly got up from the stool and slammed the laptop closed just as Lucy walked in the door with Mira and Ingrid following behind her, and he almost knocked over the open bottle of water as he moved around to the end of the counter. He grinned as they walked in, and he did his very best to act like nothing was wrong at all. He was pretty screwed if anyone wanted to get to the fridge behind him though, because there was no way in hell he was moving.

"Hey, honey," Bickslow greeted, only getting a suspicious and surprised glance from the blonde as she placed the groceries down on the opposite end of the island counter. "Enjoy your day?"

"I guess," Lucy mumbled. She looked over her shoulder and watched Mira silently take Ingrid down into her nursery, the infant asleep in her arms then. "What are you doing home? It's only just gone three o'clock."

"Uh, well remember how I said Makarov was coming in for a meeting this morning? It was specifically with me because I needed to explain all of that time off over the last couple of months and all, but I…" He trailed off as Mira walked back into the living room then and only cleared his throat as he looked down to the marble counter.

Lucy slowly began to unpack the groceries and lay them all out on the counter after laying the dress in the garment bag on the table. She didn't have a chance to worry about Bickslow being home early after a meeting with Makarov before Mira spoke. "So I think I'll be heading home now," Mira said with a smile as she looked back to the two in the kitchen, barely registering how uncomfortable Bickslow seemed. "Blake should be getting dropped off right about now anyway."

Lucy nodded at the former barmaid as she went to the door. "Thanks for today, Mira."

As soon as the door had closed behind Mira, and Lucy looked back to Bickslow, ready to ask him just what had happened in the meeting she was suddenly feeling anxious about, Bickslow instead quickly continued, willing himself to just get it all over and done with so he could get the hell out of the room and go deal with his problem that was just not going away. "I didn't tell you about it because I didn't want to worry, and I also didn't get fired, by the way," he said quickly, the relief instantly washing over her face as she let out a quiet sigh. "He just wanted to talk about things, so, since I didn't really have much of a choice, I had to tell him about the situation and all. But he's given me some time off every day, just a couple of hours, and the days when I need to take them for your appointments or just whatever reason. So yeah… Nothing to worry about at all."

"Oh. Well that's good then," Lucy said softly. Picking up the bottle of tropical juice she had been addicted to for the last week and a half, she slowly moved along the counter to begin putting the groceries in the fridge. When Bickslow made a point of moving around the opposite side where the stools were, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him when she picked up on the way he was acting. "Why do you look so guilty though?"

"Guilty? I'm not guilty of anything."

"You're being weird, Bicks. First you close the laptop as soon as I get home like I'm your mother or something and I just caught you—" She quickly cut herself off when she looked back down to the closed laptop on the bench, and then up to Bickslow with eyes wide and her face and ears feeling incredibly hot.

Lucy could remember what she'd left open on the computer. She'd found it that morning before Mira had come over so they could go out for lunch and then go dress and grocery shopping together. She'd only been looking for a hint of inspiration for something to get her creative juices flowing, but instead she'd found something she almost wished she hadn't. Just because it was making _her_ hate the fact that she literally wasn't allowed to have sex for the next two weeks.

She'd been just a little embarrassed to open the door slightly flushed, but she'd also been relieved that Mira had arrived and had pulled her from her daze where she was only wondering how accurate her other self's story was. She couldn't help it if she was curious.

She didn't think Bickslow would ever read it though. Hell, she hadn't really wanted Bickslow to read it. But now... Now Lucy was more than certain that Bickslow had been reading it, and that was almost mortifying. "You um… On the computer…"

Bickslow blinked, and lifted a hand to run through the hair at the back of his head. It hadn't even crossed his mind that Lucy might have read it too, because he'd been too preoccupied with wondering just which Lucy had written it in the first place. Knowing that Lucy had read it too though was really making the entire situation much for difficult for Bickslow. Much more difficult indeed.

"Uh… Yeah. It was open and I needed to check my emails and then I just um…" He cleared his throat as he looked down to the groceries on the counter. "I might have read just a tiny part of it. Just to uh… See what it was."

"Bicks… How much did you read?"

"Barely any of it."

Lucy frowned. She knew Bickslow, and she knew that there was no way he'd have been able to read just a tiny bit of it. She'd barely been able to stop reading it, so she really doubted Bickslow would have been able to. "Bickslow," she said firmly.

 _Damn it…_ He cleared his throat again, knowing full well that he wasn't going anywhere until he said just how much he'd actually read. He already knew it was going to embarrass the living hell out of Lucy, if not himself which would truly take a lot. So quickly, he mumbled, "I got up to the part where you were getting handcuffed to the bed." The way her face seemed to get even redder and how she seemed to be wanting to hide herself within the fridge as she went back putting the groceries away had Bickslow smirking. He was quickly realising it was an opportunity he just couldn't waste. "Which, by the way, I really didn't think you'd be into, but hey, you'd be surprised what I'm into as well."

"I'm… I'm not!"

"Whatever you say, Cosplayer," he chuckled. Bickslow was, of course, aware that _his_ Lucy wasn't into those kind of things. Or at least, she didn't know if she was because she was far too innocent for that. He could still tease her about it of course, because that's what he did. So as she made a point of avoiding looking at Bickslow, only keeping her eyes down as she unpacked the bags and then placed everything in the cupboards or the fridge, Bickslow took that opportunity to finally take his leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to go take care of."

There was a shower with his name on it right down the end of the hall, and some very detailed mental images that he was sure he'd never get out of his head again. Or at least for the next two weeks. And of course, he was still counting down until her next appointment, much like Lucy was, but he didn't know that.

Not yet, anyway.


	30. Chapter 30

Bickslow leant against the counter with his arms crossed across his chest, and when he wasn't staring at the clock on the wall, he was staring down the hall and waiting for Lucy to come out. Claire already had Ingrid and that's where Ingrid would stay until the morning since they'd be getting home far too late to disturb their neighbour, so now all Bickslow had to do was wait for his darling girlfriend to finish getting ready.

"Lucy, come on. We've gotta go," Bickslow yelled to the other end of their apartment.

"Just give me a minute!"

"You've said that about twenty times already."

"I know! I just…" Lucy's shouted response trailed off as she finally made her way out of the bedroom where she'd been finishing getting ready and into the hall, her silver clutch that matched her shoes under her dress in her hand. "Can you do this up for me then?" Reaching Bickslow at the counter, who was only looking at her in awe, almost, she turned so her back was to him so he could hopefully get the message and do the damn zip up the rest of the way. She'd managed to get it all the way up when she'd tried it on in the dress shop, but that night, it just wasn't happening.

When he had the zip done up on her dress, she turned again and all he could still do was stare in awe. Bickslow hadn't been able to understand why she'd been so adamant that he didn't see the dress until the night of the gala (he'd been tempted to look inside the bag that had been hanging on the back of their bedroom door since she'd bought it, but had decided against it), but he didn't even care about that anymore. It was almost like she was in the wedding dress again, because he felt the same as he had when he'd seen her walk out of the bathroom in that.

It wasn't like Bickslow wanted to go to the gala all that much in the first place, but now? Now he would be more than happy just to sit on the lounge like they did every Friday night, curled up together on the lounge with Ingrid and choc-mint chip ice cream and horrible T.V. shows they shouldn't love as much as they did. And if Lucy stayed in that dress too, then it would be all the better. They'd be all dressed up with nowhere to go and Bickslow wouldn't give a damn.

But no. They had to go to the gala, because Bickslow had to go, and Lucy was being an awesome girlfriend and was going with him. Plus, they still kind of had to keep up appearances, since they were still technically married despite the whole affair issue and if his wife didn't come with him to that kind of thing, then people would assume they were separated and they hated each other. Which, they didn't. Not at all. And really, it would make sense for them to be apart considering his other self's fuck up had been made somewhat public, but they weren't going with that. They were just pretending to be working things out between themselves, because when you love someone, that's what you do.

It had nothing to do with the fact that they'd both decided they wouldn't get a divorce and had decided on that a while ago. Despite them not being able to do that until they'd been married for two years anyway, which wasn't for another month and a half or there about, they just didn't see the need to do so. If, for whatever reason, they ended up loathing each other's entire existence, which Bickslow didn't see as being all that likely, then yeah, a divorce was probably something that would happen. It would be complicated as all hell since they'd have three very young children together, but whatever. They'd work something out if things turned out that way, because they always worked something out.

"Are you okay there?"

Bickslow blinked. "Huh? What?"

"You were just staring at me," Lucy laughed quietly.

 _Was I? Oh. Right. Yeah, that makes sense._ Shrugging as he pushed himself away from the counter, he pulled the blonde closer to him with his hands resting on her waist. "Only because you look _amazing_ and I'm trying to figure out how you seem to get more beautiful every day," he murmured as he slowly slid his hands down from her waist to her hips.

Lucy turned her head away when she was sure the rose blush she had on was matching the rest of her face. "I really don't feel like I do, and I just feel horrible right now."

"Well you certainly don't look it, because you're still gorgeous."

"I'm wearing about ten pounds of makeup."

"Not that you need it."

"I do, because my skin is terrible right now since I'm like a giant ball of hormones, and I can't tell if I want to cry and kiss you because you're always so sweet, or just punch your face because you must be blind or something," Lucy said quickly, her face almost matching the shade of red her dress was in at that point.

Bickslow chuckled as he quickly leant down to press his lips to hers, despite how much makeup she apparently had on. He was just a little surprised that her lips tasted like strawberry, considering she hated all things strawberry those days. _Apparently not lipstick and lip gloss though._ "I really prefer the former though, just without the crying part, and I'm really not blind. I have perfect eyesight when it comes to you." Leaning back slightly, Bickslow's hands slid towards the front of her baby bump until the front of her dress was pulled tightly over it, and still smiling, he quietly said, "And that's really cute, by the way."

"I'll take your word for it," Lucy sighed. "I'm not exactly looking forward to the day that I can't see my feet and I'll be waddling everywhere while being the size of a whale."

He rolled his eyes as his arm went back around her waist and he turned her towards the door. They had a gala to go to, after all. "You're not going to be the size of a whale. But even if you are, you'll still be the sexiest whale on this planet."

"Oh joy…"

* * *

The gala that night was being held in the grand ballroom of one of the hotels in Magnolia. Most of the guests were staying in the hotel that night, since along with the fully catered dinner menu and band playing for the course of the night, there was an open bar. That was really the only thing Bickslow liked about having to attend; he could get drunk off his face and…

Oh. No. He couldn't do that. He had a pregnant girlfriend who was going to be painfully sober while sitting through six odd hours of hellish torture. He couldn't get drunk off his face because that just wasn't fair. That wasn't to say he'd remain sober with her though, because he wouldn't. He would need something to get him through the night, though.

When they made their way into the ballroom, they were quickly found by Laxus and Mira in the already packed to capacity room, almost all of the guests who had said they'd be attending already there. "Well, I'll be damned," Laxus muttered as they weaved through the crowd and came up before Bickslow and Lucy. "If I wasn't straight, I'd probably be into you right now, Bicks."

If it was one thing Bickslow could do, it was scrub up pretty damn nicely when he put some effort into it. Suits and ties and formalwear just wasn't even close to being his kind of thing (Laxus wasn't even sure if he'd owned a _tie_ in their old world), but when he had a suit that fit him _perfectly_ , he looked more than a little fine, whether he liked being in it or not.

"I'm flattered, Sparky," Bickslow chuckled as he glanced down at himself. "But I'm sadly taken."

"That reminds me though," Lucy said as she looked up to him from where she was tucked in against his side. "Why haven't I seen you wear this one before?" Lucy had memorised each of the suits that Bickslow owned, because he wore them all to work. The one he had on then though, she knew was different, even from just the black silk lapel and the white pocket square, and it was a whole lot fancier and he looked a whole lot sexier in that one than he did in his others.

His lips quirked in amusement as he looked down. "You have. Sort of." _His_ Lucy hadn't exactly seen him wear it, or seen it at all as far as Bickslow knew since it had been sitting in a garment bag right next to her wedding dress in one of the other closets, but the other Lucy had, all because it was the suit he'd supposedly been married in.

It wasn't supposed to mean anything, him wearing that particular suit that night. It just happened to be a really, _really_ nice one, and Bickslow had seen the photos to know he looked good in it – or at least he had nearly two years earlier. He just hadn't exactly told Lucy that he'd been planning on wearing that exact suit.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later," Bickslow replied with his smirk still in place before looking back to Laxus and Mira. "Any who… I guess I have to go and be sociable or something, so we'll see you in a bit."

Sighing, Laxus nodded and said, "I suppose I should go and do the same then." With Laxus and Mira heading in one direction, Bickslow and Lucy headed in the opposite and began to weave their way through the crowd in the room, stopping every now to talk to someone Bickslow worked with and to introduce Lucy.

It was the same thing, over and over, and Bickslow could see that it was quickly beginning to stress Lucy out, even if she was good at hiding it _. 'Hi, meet my wife. Yes, we're still married even though I fucked my assistant. No, we're not getting a divorce. Yes, we're working things out. Yes, she's pregnant. No, we don't know the sex of the babies yet.'_

Over…

And over…

And over…

Bickslow was thinking it would just be easier to print out some cards and hand them to every person they stopped to chat to for all of two minutes, because all of it was making _him_ frustrated too.

It was when they were heading over to talk to Gray and Natsu at the bar that a shiver went down Bickslow's spine and the room became just that much colder. "Oh no," he whispered. _This cannot be happening…_ _She shouldn't be here…_ He didn't want Lucy getting more upset than what she already was, even if she was hiding it well, and when he let go of her hand and looked down at her just to see that worry in her eyes, he only forced a reassuring smile and said, "Hey, why don't you go see if you can find uh… Erza or something? Or just anyone on the opposite side of the room."

"What? Why?"

"Lucy, can you just do it, please? I've just gotta go uh… Sort out something. Or someone. And I don't want to drag you around anymore than I already am, okay?"

Lucy knew something was up with Bickslow. He was far too panicked for what he was saying to be the case. She just knew it was something more, but she also knew that whatever it was that was going on, Bickslow didn't want her knowing about it for whatever reason. And it was annoying, sure, but Lucy knew when to drop things. Nodding after a moment, Lucy looked around over her shoulder to see if she could see anyone she knew, and then looked back up to Bickslow with a small smile. "Okay," she said finally. "I'll go find someone on the opposite side of the room…"

"I'll come find you in a few minutes, alright?" Bickslow said softly, and then only leaning down to press a soft kiss to the top of her head, he waited until she was a few feet at least away from him before looking back to where he'd seen Veronica standing right before.

She shouldn't have been there. At least he didn't think she should have, but he just really didn't want her to be there, even though he knew he couldn't exactly get her kicked out. It was a charity event, since that's what Fairy Tale was involved in. The event in particular was fundraising for a paediatric wing and a new children's ward at Magnolia General Hospital that they desperately needed. It just wouldn't be wise to kick out any kind of guest at that kind of event.

Shoving his hands into his pants pockets, Bickslow made his way through the intermingling businessmen and women, and right past Veronica. He kept his head mostly down until he was right next to her, and the smile on her lips only made his skin crawl. God, he still hated himself so much. Bickslow didn't understand the entire situation involving her, but he didn't want to either. There was just no plausible reason to cheat on someone, but his other self had and he really just wanted to get over it and move on from it, because it wasn't him.

When he made it over to a hall just off the side of the ballroom that led to the bathrooms and a janitor's closet from what he could tell, he stopped and only folded his arms across his chest and paced the width of the hall, and he waited.

Until he heard the sound of heels walking along the carpet running in the hall, and looked up to find Veronica heading towards him. Like he'd expected her to, and like he'd wanted her to.

"Was that a baby bump I saw before?" Veronica asked as she stepped up to her former boss, just getting a little too close for Bickslow's comfort.

"Stay out of it," Bickslow warned as he took a step back. There could never be enough space between them, even if she was at one end of the world and he was at the other. Or if they were on separate planets, even. "Why are you here?"

Veronica shrugged. "Because I was invited," she answered.

"How?"

"My new boss wanted me to come. You might know of him, since he's the CEO of Saber."

Bickslow knew exactly who that was. Apart from him having met (sort of) Jiemma at the conference in Crocus just before, Saber Industries were often the ones who donated the most when it came to Fairy Tale's charity events. Most of what Fairy Tale was involved in had to do with children and improving the lives of them while working closely with the appropriate city departments – getting better parks, making sure orphanages were staffed and up to standard, students were getting the best education they could, getting wards in hospitals or making sure they could hire paediatricians. Things like that. If the town and councils couldn't afford to do it, Fairy Tale covered the rest of it because it was all about giving kids the things they needed and deserved. It was one big charity organisation, and they had a lot of generous donors for all the big things, even though they somehow made a hell of a lot of money on their own. Bickslow didn't understand it at all. Or at least there was enough for Bickslow to look at their savings account and be very glad that he had the job he did, even if he didn't exactly love it all that much.

But Saber Industries were a good company. They just apparently had bad taste in staff. "Let me guess, you're fucking him now?"

"Why?" Veronica murmured as she slowly stepped forward again, just inching towards Bickslow who remained in place. "Are you jealous?"

Hell to the no. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with Veronica.

"Do you miss me now?" Veronica continued, and Bickslow suppressed a shudder when she traced her hands up the front of his jacket and to the collar, then to his slim black tie. "Because I kind of miss you. Jiemma's not as fun as you are, and twice just isn't enough."

 _Twice?_ "Twice is _more_ than enough."

"Are you sure? You're the one that said you and Lulu—"

"Lucy," Bickslow growled. "Her name is _Lucy_ , and keep her out of it."

"Oh, whatever," she laughed, and even that sounded wicked to Bickslow. God, he just… Loathed her existence as much as his own. "You're the one that said you're splitting up anyway, and—" Veronica stopped suddenly when she found herself being pushed back into the wall that was just behind her, and Bickslow's hands on her shoulders. "Oh, now that's more like it."

"No. _No_. No one is splitting up with anyone." They couldn't have been splitting up. Could they? Surely things between their other selves couldn't have been that bad that it had actually been a possibility? Bickslow had wondered just how his other self could have even wanted to be with anyone else, but if things weren't going as well as he'd thought…

Bickslow didn't even want to think about that though. He would constantly, he knew that, but he didn't want to, because it was a strangely terrifying thought. If their other selves, the same ones that Bickslow had thought looked genuinely happy in every single photo and video – his phone was full of them, thankfully – he'd been had been falling apart, then where the hell was the hope for himself and his Lucy working out?

 _No. Get it together. You're different. We're not the same people._

He didn't need to worry. Or even think. They weren't their other selves. They were different people. They believed in different things and they acted differently. That's what Bickslow was telling himself, at least. Stepping back as he lightly shook his head and realised just how close he was to Veronica – way too close for comfort – he said, "No. Whatever it is you think happened between us, didn't, okay?"

She lifted her hands just to try and slink them around his neck, and he quickly stepped back again and she pouted. "That's just your wife talking. I bet she's the real reason you fired me," she said, only looking up at Bickslow's face remained as hard and unwavering as it had before. "You're not exactly going to leave her if she's knocked up, are you? No, you're too nice for that."

"Oh, will you just shut up, already? You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, and you need to get it through your head that I _do not_ care about you in the slightest," Bickslow snapped. He glanced down the hall to the person that just walked into one of the bathrooms, then took just a single step forward so he could lower his voice. He was so far past done, and all he wanted to do was get back to Lucy and try and enjoy the rest of their night. "I am not leaving her," he continued, his voice low and menacing just so he could try and get the damn message through her apparently thick skull. "And I don't have any intentions of ever leaving her, because she is my _wife_ and I love her, and the mother of my children."

"Like that stopped you before."

"Things are different now, and you need to accept that." He stepped back then, and alone in the corridor once again, Bickslow continued, "Now I'm going to go back out into that ballroom, and I'm going to try and enjoy my night, and do you know what you're going to do? You're going to go and do whatever the fuck it is you do, but you're going to stay the hell away from Lucy and myself so I can go back to fixing up my own fuck ups. Got it?" He didn't even give her a chance to say anything else before he was turning and quickly going back down the hall and out into the ballroom. He didn't want to hear whatever it was she would say, because he honestly just didn't care.

All he ever wanted was for all of it to be over. It was near impossible to just live his own damn life, because everything always seemed to come back to the reminder that it wasn't really their own lives. They were still living as their other selves, even when they tried not to, and when they thought that they were getting closer to being free of the 'past' and lives they didn't remember in the slightest, they weren't. Right then, Bickslow was only wondering if they'd ever be able to just let go of it all and be able to just be themselves and _only_ themselves.

When he made it back out into the ballroom, he had to take a deep breath to try and calm himself down. It was far too tempting to find Lucy and just take her home so they could just do something else like curl up on the lounge together. Bickslow didn't want to be there, and after seeing Veronica and having a conversation that they apparently needed to have, he wanted to be there even less.

But they couldn't leave. He couldn't leave, because it was his job to be there. He was just going to need a hell of a lot of alcohol to get him through the night, so when he eventually found Lucy talking to Evergreen and Erza (or really, it wasn't so much as talking as it was Evergreen and Erza trying to swat each other's hands away from Lucy's belly for whatever reason), he thankfully had a drink in his hand.

"So… What exactly is going on here?" Bickslow asked as he came up beside Lucy.

Her smile became brighter when she looked up to see Bickslow next to her, but it only faltered for a moment when she saw how undone he seemed. Something still wasn't quite right, and it only made Lucy worry more. "Well," she said with a wistful sigh as she looked down to where the two women were basically groping her in public. Sort of. "Ever is convinced we're having girls and she's called dibs on being the godmother along with Erza so they're kind of arguing about that, and they're now trying to see if they can feel the twins move yet, but I've told them they won't be able to, because I haven't even felt them yet."

"Oh. Okay then," he chuckled. Was the godparents thing event that important? Hell, Bickslow didn't even know if Ingrid had any. He didn't really care all that much either though.

"Mm-hmm," she hummed. Then quietly, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Bickslow looked back down and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. But I have to talk to you about something."

"Alright." Smiling, she turned back to the women in front of her who were apparently too busy bickering over who was going to be chosen as godmother (they seemed to somehow forget Lucy was having two babies anyway), Lucy said, "I'll talk to you later. Have fun uh… Sorting out who gets to be the godmother." Was Lucy going to tell them that if they decided to give the twins godparents, it would mean that they'd need two godmothers and two godfathers anyway? Hell no. It was strangely entertaining watching them fight over it.

Slowly, they made their way over to their table for the night, and they sat down at their assigned seats, thankful that no one else had made their way over yet. Sitting on the edge of his chair and with too many people near them for them to have a somewhat private conversation, Bickslow quietly said, "So Veronica is here."

"Veronica as in…?"

Bickslow nodded. "Yeah. That one." She didn't even need to finish that sentence.

"Oh. Was that… Was that where you were before?" Lucy asked, her finger tracing around the edge of the napkin with the cutlery laid out on it. Bickslow nodded again, and Lucy only wondered why it hurt so much. "What did you um, talk about?"

If Bickslow had been able to get away with not telling Lucy, he would have, but he hated lying to her. But, he hated hurting her more, and that's what he was doing, whether he meant to or not. "I wanted to know why she was here," Bickslow answered. Sliding forward on the chair again, he reached for Lucy's hands, and held them in his own between them. "And honestly," he added, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a small smirk when she looked back up to him. "I was telling her to back the fuck off."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm." Just seeing her eyes light up a tiny bit made Bickslow remember just why he loved her so much. "But… Talking to her made me realise something else," he added softly, and when her face dropped again and he saw that worry set in her eyes once again, he sighed quietly and said, "You know I love you. A lot. And you know that I want to forget about everything so we can just get on with our lives as much as you do."

"I sense there's a 'but' coming," Lucy mumbled.

"But… I don't think we'll get that," he said sadly. "Not when we do this."

"You know, I don't think this is the best time or place to be breaking up with me."

"Jesus, I don't think there would _ever_ be a right time or place for that," Bickslow chuckled. He knew Lucy wasn't serious and that she really didn't think he was breaking up with her, just because of the way she was looking at him then. But it was great, because it gave Bickslow just a tiny moment where he could forget how shitty his night already was. "But all jokes aside, not that I ever thought I would be saying those words, we can't keep doing this."

Lucy's brow furrowed, and her lips turned down into a frown. "I don't know what you mean, Bickslow." What exactly were they doing that they couldn't keep doing?

"We can't keep pretending to be people that we aren't," he explained. "Keeping up appearances and all that, and especially with things like this." He only pulled one hand from hers to gesture to the room full of people they were in the middle of, then looked back to Lucy. "That's not us, and it never will be, and when we keep going around and pretending to be our other selves, it makes it harder to just put all of that behind us and get on with our own lives."

"I understand that," Lucy said softly. "But I don't know what we're supposed to do." They'd tried doing so many small things, even just like taking down all of the photos that reminded them it wasn't truly their life yet, but there were still those other things that brought it all back up. It wasn't them. They weren't even free to be themselves because of it, and Lucy really did know that Bickslow hated it as much as she did.

But there were just some things Lucy couldn't see ever changing. They'd always have Ingrid, who they'd only known for half of her life as it was. Lucy had her books and her career, Bickslow had his job and his degree, and there would always be the people that hadn't come with them from their old world who still thought they were their other selves. As much as Lucy wanted to forget about all of those, she just wouldn't be able to, and she would always be reminded of the fact that they were there, and their other selves were probably in a place they didn't understand.

"Well, neither do I, to be honest," Bickslow whispered. "But we're always going to be trying to figure out what to do, you know?"

She nodded. "I suppose."

He looked down to their hands, her left specifically, and his fingers gently began twisting her wedding band next to her engagement ring as he said, " _We're_ not married. Well, we are, but not really. We're just… Boyfriend and girlfriend. And I think… I think it would be better for us if we stopped pretending we were anything else." Sure, Bickslow thought it was just a little too great that they were actually married, but they weren't there or ready for that stage, and Bickslow didn't know if they'd ever be ready to actually accept and really acknowledge it.

But to him, after talking to Veronica, he knew that they needed to find more ways to separate themselves from their other selves, and when he'd only been dragging Lucy around and introducing her as his _wife_ like most people knew she was, Bickslow had only been able to see that their marriage was one thing that was causing one of the most problems.

He wasn't going to bring up what he'd heard from Veronica about their other selves apparently splitting up, because whether it was true or not, it wasn't that relevant. They were trying to make it less about their other selves, and more about _them_. Bringing up their apparent disastrous relationship between their other selves would do just the opposite of what they wanted.

As Bickslow slid both of the rings from her finger and then his own, Lucy watched as he placed them gently on the edge of the table, all lined up next to one another. They'd only worn them that night because people assumed they were married, and when they were keeping up appearances, that's how they acted. It wasn't exactly like Lucy hated wearing them all that much (they were a little weird to get used to because she never wore rings), because they were too pretty not to stare at constantly. She just knew it would be odd for her to wear them, because she wasn't really married.

Legally, yes. But really? Hell no.

"And you know, since things aren't really that different and we're together now, I just think that things might be a little easier if we just act like who we actually are," Bickslow continued. "If I have to introduce you to anyone I work with or anything, I don't want to introduce you as my wife, because… Because you're not, really. And I know I can't exactly say you're my girlfriend, especially if someone knows I'm married to you, but to me, you're still just Lucy, and that's all you'll ever be to me, regardless of whether we're together or not."

She smiled and looked back up as she slid forward on the chair, and lifted her arms to loop behind his neck. "I think that's perfect, Bicks," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

Lucy nodded. "Mm-hmm. I think I like the sound of just being Lucy. But do you know what else I really like?"

"What?"

She sat back up straight and picked up her two rings from the table with a bright smile. "I really like these rings, and if we're _not_ married, then I can wear them without feeling just a little weird," she explained, and instead of slipping them onto her left ring finger, she put them on her right instead, and held up her hand in front of her to admire them. She was sure she'd told Bickslow once before that his other self had great taste in jewellery, but her engagement and wedding ring were in their own league, and she really did love them.

It totally wasn't weird that she was wanting to wear them on her other hand. Not at all. At least, that's what she told herself.

* * *

By that point of the night, everyone was seated at their designated places at the tables that filled more than half the room, and everyone was waiting for the food to be served. Unfortunately for Bickslow and Lucy, everyone was focusing on them and just asking way too many questions about their relationship and the twins. But, it was also the first time they'd actually gone anywhere in public as an actual couple since everyone had found out they were dating.

But most of the questions were actually about Lucy's pregnancy, so Bickslow was free to stay silent and just drink. He liked to think he was drinking so much that night because he was also drinking on behalf of Lucy, but that wasn't the case. It was mostly because Veronica was sitting at the table next to theirs, and Bickslow was unfortunately graced with the ability of being able to see her every single time he looked straight forward.

Maybe if he managed to drink enough that night, his vision would blur quicker and he wouldn't be able to see her.

"How far along are you again?" Mira asked from opposite Lucy.

She placed the glass of water back down in front of her. "About twelve weeks," Lucy answered.

"Ah, so you've still got a while to go, then."

"Yup. They won't be here until around the end of October now."

"So they'll be here for the holidays then?" Freed said from beside Lucy. "I'm sure that will make it a very happy time for you two."

"I'm thinking more tiring and stressful, honestly," Lucy laughed, and Bickslow only grunted in response. Even if they would be over the moon with their little family, they would be _exhausted_. They'd missed the part of Ingrid's life where she wasn't able to sleep through the night, which they were honestly just a little thankful for considering all things, but when they'd have two newborns and a toddler who would only _just_ be a toddler as it was, their life was going to be just a little (or a lot) more chaotic than it currently was.

But that, they were completely and totally ready for. They had accepted that they would have to say goodbye to their sleep and the rest of their sanity once the twins had arrived.

"But it will be worth it," Freed added softly, and Lucy nodded in agreement as she took another sip of her water.

"How long until you find out the genders though?" Juvia asked from where she sat beside Gray and just next to Bickslow.

"Not for a little while, unfortunately," Lucy answered. She was honestly beginning to feel like she was on an interview show or something, not that she minded all that much. "We won't know for sure for another six or so weeks."

From the opposite side of the table, Lisanna chimed in with, "What do you think you're having though?"

Sighing, Lucy said, "Honestly, girls. But that might just be because I hope that's what they are."

"Two more girls would be so sweet!" Erza said from beside Freed, and as all the women at the table seemingly agreed, most of the men decided to groan in frustration, and Bickslow was one of them. Hearing that, Erza sat forward to glare at Bickslow, who permanently seemed to have a glass in his hand that night. "What's so bad about your twins being girls, Bickslow? Another two like Ingrid? I didn't think you'd be opposed to that."

"I'm not," Bickslow replied, finally lowering his glass to the table. It didn't help it was now empty. "I have nothing against them being girls, actually, I would just prefer them to be boys because I think I might go insane if I have three teenage girls at once."

"That's funny," Laxus chimed in with a twisted smirk from opposite them. "I could've sworn you used to always go on and on about how you were so good with women."

With his mouth twisting into his own answering smirk, Bickslow lifted his hand and raised his painted middle finger to the blond opposite him. He might have let his ego get the better of him a few times over the last few years in particular, but that was when he hadn't had a girlfriend and had definitely had no kids. Now, he had both of those, and he wasn't the same person he'd been just a few months earlier. But as much as he did prefer the twins to be boys (it didn't help that he really did not want to be greatly outnumbered) and that he really would be over the moon if they were girls anyway, it was just that he was going to have to try and figure out how to deal with them.

Lucy… Ingrid… Then two more girls. Yeah, Bickslow was good with the opposite gender if he wanted to sleep with them, but anything else, he just had no idea what he was doing. Raising them was just in a whole new ball park.

"So have you started buying any baby things yet?" Erza asked suddenly as Lucy pulled Bickslow's hand down and laughed at the man.

"Nope," Lucy answered.

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing at all."

Bickslow looked to Lucy then and asked, "Have we done anything at all?" He was beginning to think they hadn't. The spare room was still full of all the random things they'd shoved in there, like the coffee table they were always moving so Ingrid could play in front of the lounge, every single photo that had been of their over selves, plus there were still boxes in there and in the wardrobe that they hadn't gone through. They just hadn't seen the point of doing that, really, since the door was almost permanently closed.

Crimson dusted her cheeks, and Lucy shook her head as a nervous laugh slipped out. "I guess not." Not unless too many ultrasounds and doctor's appointments or visits to the emergency room counted.

"We probably should soon though, right?"

"Definitely." It wasn't like they didn't have time to, because she still had another thirty-odd weeks until she was due anyway, but it was going to be nice to be prepared.

"Well," Evergreen cleared her throat suddenly as she shared a look with Erza – one that had just a hint of malice behind it. "Erza and I have come to the realisation that there is no point in fighting over who will get to be the godmother since you're having twins, so that means that we can both be godmothers."

"Yes! It is a good idea, if I do say so myself, and it means you two have one less thing to worry about," Erza added.

Before Bickslow and Lucy could even respond, Mira was chiming in a little disappointedly with, "What? You two have already chosen godparents?"

"No—"

And before Bickslow could even say, _'no, we haven't decided on godparents yet because we haven't even talked about godparents yet,_ ' everyone was suddenly deciding that they wanted to be a godparent too. Everyone apart from Freed, it seemed, who only turned to the couple and apologised for all of their friends. Mira was upset and still thinking Evergreen and Erza were the official godmothers of the twins, Laxus was trying to calm her down and tell her that Bickslow and Lucy hadn't decided on anything and that she could still be a godmother to the 'precious' little bundles of joy. Natsu and Gray were arguing over who would be a better godfather, Juvia was daydreaming about knitting the babies things once they were born and being the best godmother ever, Lisanna was saying it would be sweet if the sisters were both godmothers, and Elfman was still just claiming that the twins were boys.

Bickslow needed twin boys, as far as Elfman was concerned.

But the more they went on, the more Lucy felt like she was being overwhelmed. She could deal with all of the questions about her relationship with Bickslow, or about the pregnancy and such, but she couldn't deal with this. It almost made her feel like she didn't get a say in anything that was going on, and it was her life; it was her children and the only ones who got to make any decisions about them were herself and Bickslow. It was _their_ life, and as much as she loved her friends because they were her family, she really needed them to stay the hell out of her life when it came to decisions regarding her children.

She'd already been feeling unwell for most of the day and night as it was, and it was something she'd come to hate but had also accepted that would be around for a little while longer since she was having twins, but as Lucy sat there and listened to everyone around her argue about something as stupid as being godparents, she only felt the bile rise in her throat. Quickly, she excused herself from the table as she picked up her purse, and Bickslow's eyes followed her as she weaved through the tables and towards the hall off the side where the restrooms were.

The table fell into silence once Lucy left, and they all looked to Bickslow for answers. If he had to tell the truth though, he didn't entirely know what had happened, though he had a pretty good idea. Only placing another glass back down, he slowly pushed his chair out and said, "Uh… Maybe you should talk about something else when she gets back. Like…" He looked to Gray and Juvia and shrugged before he walked off. "Like Gray and Juvia getting married." Which, they were, apparently. Bickslow wasn't quite sure how or why, but apparently their wedding was still going to happen, and it was just a month away.

Like Bickslow expected her to be, she was in one of the stalls in the women's bathroom, and, also like he'd kind of expected her to be, throwing up. He was at the point where he just didn't care anymore. He'd been woken up by it, held her hair back on more than one occasion where she felt worse than usual and he'd seriously considered not going to work because he'd rather take care of Lucy too many times to count, and actually been thrown up on by both Ingrid _and_ Lucy. He just didn't care anymore, but what he did care about was Lucy, and it was why he just waited, leaning against the counter with his arms folded and staring down at the marble floor.

One of the stalls opened, and a woman with dark wavy hair came out and instantly gave Bickslow a disgusted look. "This is the _women's_ bathroom, you pervert," she scoffed, making her way to the sink that was the furthest away from Bickslow.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Bickslow shot back with a roll of his eyes. "I bet you've been on your knees in a bathroom somewhere."

"Bickslow!" Lucy shrieked from within the last stall with the door closed, and Bickslow only shrugged as the other woman quickly grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands before throwing it in the bin by the door. She hadn't expected Bickslow to be there, but it made her face feel warmer than she already was, because she really didn't want him to be in there.

Picking herself up from the ground and flushing the toilet behind her, Lucy pulled the door open and made her way over to the sinks. "You shouldn't be in here," she muttered, dropping her purse to the counter and turning the taps.

Bickslow shrugged. "Don't care. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just… Whatever," she sighed. Her brown eyes flicked up to Bickslow's reflection and she frowned. "Can you leave though? You really shouldn't be in here, considering this is the _women's_ bathroom and the last time I checked, you are _not_ a woman."

The corner of his mouth lifted up and he chuckled leant down slightly, with Lucy only turning away with a slight grimace. "You've checked, huh? Are you sure?"

Lucy arched an eyebrow and said, "So you're trying to tell me that you actually have a vagina? Really? Because I'm finding that really hard to imagine."

"Well, I am in the women's bathroom…"

"Just get out already."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," Bickslow said quickly. He knew something was wrong, and it wasn't just because she didn't feel well, because really, she almost always felt like that and even then, she was still smiling and laughing and Bickslow could see that there was nothing bothering her. But that wasn't the case right then. "We can leave if you want," he added softly. "Seriously, I wouldn't object to that at all. This entire thing is fucking horrible and everyone is just giving me a headache."

Lucy smiled as she glanced to the former Seith mage. "We can't leave, and I promise I'm okay. I just… I just needed a break from all of that. Everyone was just—" She cut herself off when the door to the bathroom opened, and she stared at it as Bickslow did the same over his shoulder before he quickly looked back to Lucy and dropped his head, refusing to look to Veronica as she stared back at them in surprise. "…Being too much," Lucy finished quietly.

Veronica opened her mouth as if to say something as Lucy glanced in her direction again, but quickly shut it again before she ducked into the nearest stall and decided it was a better idea to not say anything. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence quickly, and as Lucy stared down to the porcelain sink, she felt that same feeling in her stomach and the bitter taste of bile creeping back up into her throat. She tried to swallow it down and ignore it, because most of the time that worked. With Bickslow realising that he really did need to get the hell out of there, he pushed himself away from the counter he was leaning on and said, "Well, just—" But then Lucy was holding up a hand for him to stop, before she quickly turned and rushed back into the stall she'd come out of just a few moments earlier, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Bickslow had only wanted to remind her that she could feel overwhelmed if she wanted to. He hadn't blamed her, because honestly, their friends had been pushing it just a little bit, and if _he'd_ wanted to almost throttle them and just tell them to talk about something else (and they were _his_ kids they were talking about, and he could honestly talk about all of them for days, and two of them weren't even born yet), then it wouldn't have been all that surprising if Lucy had wanted to do the same. Which she had, and it was why she'd needed to walk away from it all for a little while. She wasn't exactly going to yell at her friends in the middle of an important work function to tell them that they all really needed to back the fuck off when it came to her children.

But knowing that it was time to leave the room, partly because he was still not exactly wanting to be in the _vicinity_ of Veronica, Bickslow turned and left, only planting himself out in the hall just by the door. He was just a little scared of leaving the two women in the same room, what, with one being hormonal and upset, and the other being just a little possessive and jealous.

Coming back out of the bathroom stall, Lucy felt even more embarrassed than she had before. She guessed Bickslow would have left, but she had really _hoped_ Veronica would be gone. But alas, she wasn't, and was only just rubbing her hands together under the running water. Of all the people she had to be standing in a bathroom with, it was Veronica; the same woman who probably would have been the cause to end what Lucy thought was a somewhat happy marriage, had her other self known. And honestly, Lucy didn't even know if her other self would have noticed something was off in her relationship. She liked to think she would have.

She kept her head down as she stood at the basin down from Veronica, the one where she'd left her purse at, and she tried her best to take as long as she possibly could.

"You should go and find some pretzels or something," Veronica suddenly said as she shut off the faucet and grabbed a handful of the folded up paper towels on the bench.

Lucy turned to Veronica. "Excuse me?" she asked, the complete astonishment over the fact the woman was actually talking to her evident in her voice.

Veronica shrugged as she continued looking to herself in the mirror, touching up her deep rose lipstick and pretending that it wasn't a big deal she was talking to her ex-boss's – the one she had slept with, more than once – wife in a public restroom. "They can help with nausea. Or at least, they work for me, and a friend of mine swore by them when she was pregnant. And, well, since you are…" She glanced to the stunned blonde as she straightened up and dropped the lipstick back to her light blue clutch, then with a small but genuine smile and another shrug, she said, "Just try it. Or not."

 _What the hell is happening right now?_ "O-Oh. Uh… Thank you," Lucy mumbled, and all she could do was watch with wide eyes as Veronica quickly turned and walked to the door, her heels clicking on the marble floor as she went.

It was almost as if… Veronica had a soul. Or maybe some form of a heart. Which, honestly, Lucy didn't think was possible, because the woman slept with her husband – when she knew full well that he was married and he had a family – for heaven's sake. Any normal person would steer well and truly clear unless there was more to it, and that was something that Lucy had had at the back of her head for a while now, just because there was always something else there. There was always another side to each story, and ever since Lucy had found out about the entire fucked up situation involving Veronica in the first place, she hadn't been able to help but think there was more to it; that maybe, they really weren't happy at all.

Not somewhat. Just not at all.

But Lucy had no idea, and she really didn't want to know. It didn't matter, after all. It was in a past that wasn't theirs so all that mattered now was that her Bickslow didn't screw anyone else. Honestly, if the guy broke her heart, especially while she was pregnant and hormonal or severely sleep deprived, then she was probably going to _physically_ break Bickslow's. And she'd probably just make his death seem like an accident, or she'd try to.

But what Lucy _did_ want to know, was just where she could find some pretzels. They were in a hotel, after all, and if they didn't have pretzels, then… She really just might cry, because now all she could think about was pretzels.

* * *

If Bickslow had to follow Laxus around for one more minute, he was probably going to kill someone. Or say something he shouldn't. Either or, it didn't really matter. He just needed to get away from it all because he was just exhausted and was so glad that the night was nearly over and they'd be able to go home soon so he could sleep.

After finally Laxus that he really might commit a murder if he had to follow him around any longer and pretend to be sociable and thankful and know everything about the damn company, he went off to find Lucy. Honestly, he was a lawyer who rarely went to work. He knew nothing apart from the fact that he just had to do a whole bunch of paperwork all the time, and show up to meetings and say, _'Yeah, as long as you do this, it's legal for us._ ' Most of the time he just guessed, anyway, and if he had to read another page of any corporate law book, he was going to throw it out his office windows. But… He knew he'd have to, because otherwise he could seriously fuck everything up if he didn't know what he was talking about, even if most people seemed to have no idea he knew nothing.

Bickslow found Lucy sitting at the table. Still. She'd practically stayed there all night apart from when he'd had to drag her around at the start of the event, and then for a little while after that. When he got back to their table, Bickslow wasn't surprised to find her eating pretzels… Again. He had no idea where she kept getting them, but it was like every time he turned around or left and came back, she had a bag of pretzels in her hand.

He held out his hand to the blonde when she looked up to him and away from Juvia and Gray. "Come on," Bickslow said. "Come dance with me."

She arched an eyebrow at the man curiously. "You know how to dance?"

"Hey, there's still plenty of things you don't know about me. Like, how I'm secretly a woman, and that I can actually dance."

Gray choked on his drink just as Juvia spluttered and went beet red, only looking between Lucy and Bickslow quickly. "But… Then how is Lucy pregnant if Bickslow is a woman?" she spluttered, right before Bickslow burst into laughter.

"Well, it wasn't me," Bickslow chuckled as he pulled Lucy to her feet from the chair.

"Then… Then who?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "He's fucking with her. Half the guild has unfortunately had the pleasure of knowing he is definitely not a woman."

"Aw, Gray," Bickslow whined. "You ruined my fun."

Lucy shook her head as Bickslow led them through the tables and the people to the dance floor set up at the front of the room in front of the stage where plenty of other people were already dancing. "You liar," she teased. "You're not a woman."

"Unfortunately. Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not, actually," he mused. "I'd probably just touch myself all day."

"Like you don't do that already."

"Hey, unless you can prove that I do, I'm as pure as they come, sweetheart."

Lucy laughed quietly as she lifted her arms, one going to just below his shoulder and the other to lace her fingers through his as his other hand went to her waist, and they slowly began to move and sway to the slow song the band was playing, winding down the guests for the night. "You do realise I've heard you, right?" she said quietly, unable to keep the smile – or the blush – off her face.

Bickslow grimaced, and his steps faltered for a second. "You have?"

"Uh-huh. The walls aren't that thin, you know. And unless you just happen to really love the scent of the body wash…"

"Well, it does smell pretty good…"

"Then I know exactly what you're doing." It was really just the stray moan coming through the wall that she heard, but she'd known what Bickslow was doing. She found it just a little entertaining that he seemed slightly embarrassed by it, like he was trying to pretend that he didn't have the odd shower in the morning when he had one the night before. Like, Lucy knew exactly what he did, and she really did find it entertaining. But, if she had to be perfectly honest, she was just a little jealous too. But was she going to tell Bickslow that all she wanted to do was get herself off? Definitely not. She'd never hear the end of it if Bickslow found out that the next nearly two weeks until she was cleared to even _touch_ herself – not even sex, but that was going to pretty good too, she hoped – were going to be hellish.

"Welp. Well that's just a little embarrassing," Bickslow muttered. "Guess you know I'm not an innocent little butterfly now."

"Innocent little butterfly? Bicks, I don't think you have ever been an innocent little butterfly."

"I might have been for all of five minutes after I was born."

"Only five? I would've said four."

"Four, five… It doesn't really matter," he murmured, bringing his head down to whisper in her ear, "I'm still your badass boyfriend, slash sexy husband, slash awesome baby daddy."

Lucy laughed as she shook her head, and lifted her arms to loop behind his neck. "You're such an idiot sometimes that I really can't help but wonder just what I see you. Or what the other me saw in you to actually _marry_ you."

"I think it's my idiocy that makes me so damn attractive."

"You know, I think that might actually be the case," Lucy said softly. "Since my best friend is the biggest idiot of them all, and my boyfriend is just a giant dork like ninety-nine percent of the time."

"So you really just have a thing for stupid guys."

"Probably," Lucy giggled. It kind of made sense. Well, not really, but that didn't matter. Bickslow was her idiot, and she loved that, because she wouldn't even be where she was without that same idiot. He made her smile and made her laugh, and most of all, he made her feel like everything would be okay. And that was what mattered.

When the band started the next song, having caught the end of the other, Bickslow's soft smile turned into a wide grin. The piano, the drums, the guitar… He knew that opening anywhere, because he'd listened to that song close to a million times. "I really like this song," he said softly as he looked down to the blonde.

Lucy glanced to the ensemble on the stage. "I don't think I've ever heard it before."

Bickslow only smiled, and he kept his eyes on her as they continued to slowly sway in time with the music with his arm around her waist and her hand in his again. So it wasn't exactly _dancing_ per se, but it kind of was. And it was nice.

 _But I can't help falling in love with you_

"You know," Bickslow began quietly over the singer's low voice. With the song playing, it really just seemed like the perfect time to tell her how he felt. Again. Because he was constantly telling her how he felt, just because he could. "I really don't think I would have been able to help falling for you. Even if I didn't love you way before any of this ever happened, I like to think that things still would have ended up being the same. For me at least, anyway."

Lucy smiled as she felt her heart decide to go just a little crazy in her chest. Trust Bickslow to do that, and, make her want to cry. _Damn it._ "You think?"

 _Shall I stay  
Would it be a sin_

Bickslow nodded. "Mm-hmm. Because you're amazing, and that's just putting it mildly." There were a million other words that described what Lucy was to him, one of them being perfect, but even then, none seemed to really do her justice. "Plus," Bickslow added, a smirk pulling at his mouth. "How am I supposed to live in the same apartment – that admittedly, really isn't that big – with someone as pretty as you and not fall for you just a tiny bit?"

"Just a tiny bit?"

"Or a lot. Completely and totally, irrevocably, hopelessly—"

"Stupidly?" Lucy added.

"Stupidly, yes," Bickslow chuckled before looking up slightly and continuing, "Ah, what else? Oh, madly, also eternally, and just downright head over heels. You should have figured out by now that I only ever go all out with everything I do, and that just happens to include falling in love with you."

 _Darling so it goes  
Some things are meant to be_

"Eternally, huh?" If it had been anyone else saying that, Lucy was sure she would have run in the opposite direction before they'd even finished the word. But with Bickslow, it only made her heart skip a beat and her breath barely catch. It didn't scare her with Bickslow, whether he even meant to say it or not, though part of her hoped he did.

Part of Lucy knew it was absurd to even think about how she could see herself being happy for a long time with Bickslow, because they hadn't been together for very long at all. She shouldn't even love him yet, but she did, and she didn't even care. He was just everything she needed him to be, whether he even tried to be or not, and Lucy couldn't see a time where she'd be over that. Not for a while at least, anyway.

"Uh… I uh…" Bickslow quickly looked away. He hadn't really meant to say _eternally_ , but it had almost just… Slipped out. Was it true though? Yeah, probably, but considering he hadn't exactly admitted that to himself yet (he was still trying to get over the fact he'd been in love with Lucy the entire time without realising it), he wasn't going to admit it to someone else. "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled sheepishly instead.

 _Take my hand  
Take my whole life too_

Lucy's bubbly laugh had him looking back down to her slightly shocked, and seeing that expression on his slightly flushed face only had Lucy's smile growing brighter. "Hey, Bicks?" she said, and Bickslow only blinked at her, his brows furrowing only slightly as he tried to imagine just what she was going to say next. "I love you, you know? A lot. Like, from here to… Magnolia 1.0 and back a million times."

A smirk pulled at his lips then. "Are you sure? I mean, that could be an incredibly short distance, which means you wouldn't love me very much at all."

"Or, it could be a million light-years away, and times that by a million…" Lucy explained. "You're just going to have to take my word that I love you a lot, okay?"

"I think I could manage that."

"I'm _so_ glad."

"But you know what?" Bickslow asked, smiling at Lucy who only looked up to him expectantly. "I love you too. From here to Magnolia 1.0 a million times." Or a billion or even trillion times, but he really wasn't going to try and ever get into an argument over who loves who more, because Bickslow was sure he would win.

And so ignoring how he could see Mira standing with Laxus not too far away and staring at himself with Lucy, and not noticing the event photographer that had been hired for the night that was lurking nearby, Bickslow gently brought his lips down to Lucy's, right as the song ended.

 _For I can't help falling in love with you_

* * *

 **A/Ns:** _Song used is_ _Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling In Love (/watch?v=vGJTaP6anOU)._


	31. Chapter 31

"Finally, that's all over," Bickslow groaned.

Lucy sighed as she tucked herself into his side in the back seat of the taxi. "I'm so glad it is," she agreed. "I'm _exhausted_." It had been a long, tiring night, and it was well past Lucy's bedtime. She rarely stayed up past nine or ten at the latest, but it was after midnight and all Lucy wanted to do was go home, get out of her dress and into some more comfortable clothes, and sleep.

And considering she wouldn't have to be up early because of Ingrid, she'd get to sleep in for a change, and she was going to savour that.

"Me too," Bickslow sighed. He leant forward to give the driver the address of their building, and then they were pulling away from the taxi bay at the hotel where the gala had been and were on their way. It wasn't a long drive per se, ten minutes at most, really, but Lucy was finding that she wasn't as exhausted as she thought.

She was still practically dead on her feet and her heels were killing her feet, but she was really, _really_ hungry. The food at the event had been nice, but Lucy hadn't loved it all that much. She'd honestly preferred the pretzels over anything there, and she'd been so glad that she'd been able to bribe one of the hotel workers in the lobby to bring her some more every time she'd run out and wanted some more.

But she didn't want pretzels right then. She'd had enough of them over the course of the night. No, Lucy found herself craving one thing in particular, and she really, _really_ hoped Bickslow wouldn't mind taking a little detour before going home. "Hey, Bicks…" She lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled up at him.

He knew that smile. He knew that smile well by that point. "Yes…" he drawled.

"Since you love me and all and you really love making me happy, do you think we could stop by somewhere before we go home?" she asked, batting her eyelashes just for good measure.

"What do you mean by _somewhere_?"

"Somewhere that serves really horrible, disgusting, unhealthy, greasy food that I really should _not_ be eating at all."

"Lucy, it's twelve-thirty," Bickslow reminded her. It wasn't so much that he was opposed to the idea of not going straight home, because as tired as he was too, junk food was incredibly appealing right then. It was just that he really wanted to get Lucy home and to bed because she needed her sleep more than she needed junk food. "I thought you were exhausted and wanted to go home."

"I am, and I do," she said slowly. "But…"

Bickslow rolled his eyes, and finished for her, "But you're more hungry than tired. Got it." Of course Lucy was more hungry than she was tired. She was practically always hungry when she wasn't feeling sick. Sighing in defeat, Bickslow leant forward to let the driver know about their new plans.

* * *

Lucy had laughed so much in just the last half hour alone that her cheeks were actually hurting. From the burger place that had just been a block away from their apartment building, they'd only found themselves in a small park also not too far from their building. It was the middle of the night so they were the only ones there, aside from the odd drunk teenager or homeless person that stumbled through, so no one was there to judge them for laughing too loud.

She'd laughed so hard and so much that she'd choked on her soda and her burger or fries more than once, and almost fallen back into the fountain they'd been sitting on while eating their horribly unhealthy midnight snacks just as many times. Getting home and going to bed was the last thing on her mind, just like it was for Bickslow, because she was just having far too much fun sitting in the park in the middle of the night.

Bickslow had been making a point of getting her to laugh though, just because he loved hearing it. It didn't help that it was incredibly easy to get her to laugh, too. She seemed to laugh at anything, even his horrible, lame, cringe-worthy jokes, but according to her, his ' _dad jokes'_ were actually brilliant.

For the most part, they'd really only laughed about their oh so boring night – from how everyone seemed to be wanting to stake their claim to being a godparent, which they had to admit was pretty damn entertaining, to how Lucy had figured out just why she hadn't seen Bickslow wear that particular suit. They talked about everything and anything, and Lucy even explained the entire pretzel situation. That, Bickslow hadn't exactly liked, just because he hated that she'd even talked to Veronica at all, but it wasn't the worst thing to happen in the world. It could've been worse.

But aside from all of that, it only really came down to the fact that Bickslow, who had had just a little bit too much to drink, was willing to make an absolute fool of himself, all for Lucy's entertainment.

And that was how they got to where they were right then, with Lucy laughing hysterically and getting dangerously close to actually falling into the fountain from where she still sat, all because her boyfriend had decided to start doing some sort of strange strip tease. It started because he'd been taking off his jacket because he'd been getting hot, and somehow, in his intoxicated and permanently perverted state, that just meant getting up and beginning to _slowly_ take it off.

"Oh my god, what the hell are you doing?!" Lucy giggled.

He stopped his out of tune humming to a song that Lucy didn't know, and shrugged while slowly slipping the fitted suit off his shoulders. "Dancing."

Whatever it was he was doing, it was _not_ dancing. Or if it was, they seemed to have very different understandings of what dancing actually was. "Bicks, that is _not_ dancing." It was… Swaying, if anything. And if Bickslow was _trying_ to sexy, it really wasn't working. No, he could do that without trying. In fact, it was better if he _didn't_ try to be sexy.

"No?" He went back to humming his out of tune song and he slowly swung his jacket around before tossing it to the patch of grass next to the path. "Does that mean you don't like it?" he asked.

She watched as he slowly moved his hands down to untuck the crisp white shirt and he continued to slowly turn and sway in time to his horrible song. So Lucy might have found herself beginning to enjoy his little dance, probably because her eyes seemed to be drawn to the way he moved his hips in the suit that fit him far too well. And it was really just a little strange, because she had honestly never seen something weird, but she really was enjoying it. Only her absolutely insane, former Seith mage, sort of husband, boyfriend, technical father of her children could be completely fine with doing some sort of strip tease in the middle of a night in a very public park.

"No, no," Lucy shook her head and picked up her drink again to take a sip from the straw. "Keep going." No, she was going to enjoy her night off from her responsibilities, and if that meant watching Bickslow dance horribly and take off what she hoped was only _some_ of his clothes (because they were still in a park, and she really didn't want him to get arrested for public exposure or anything like that, even though it would make her laugh her ass off) and wishing that the next two weeks weren't going to be so torturously long for her, then yeah, she was going to enjoy her night.

"As you wish, Cosplayer."

The longer it lasted, the more Lucy seemed to laugh, and she just about fell over when a group of people younger than them walked through the park and past them, cat-calling as Bickslow slid his belt from the loops of his pants. He could've stopped, and he was going to have to soon because he really was not going to strip in a park (even he had his limits and his standards, tipsy or not), but he couldn't. He was having too much fun, just because he liked teasing her and that was all he could do.

When he got to his tie, raising a hand to begin to loosen it while trying not to laugh too much himself, Lucy apparently reached her own limit, and when Bickslow heard a splash, some squealing, and then just a whole bunch of hysterical laughter in the space of just a few seconds, he turned back around just to see that she'd fallen back into the fountain. "What the hell are you doing in there?" he chuckled, his odd little dance coming to an end in an instant.

"I don't even know!" she squealed. She couldn't quite remember how she'd gone from sitting on the edge of the fountain like she had all night, to actually falling back into it, but she had a feeling it had something to do with how she'd just been laughing far too much to be aware of she'd been tipping back and forth the entire time. "I was… Oh, I don't know."

Bickslow rolled his eyes. Lucy was definitely special, but he loved her all the same. "Come on. Time to get out of the fountain." Reaching for her hands, he pulled her up until she was back to sitting on the stone edge, and then to her feet. The water hadn't been deep, only a few inches, but she'd still been lying in it and her entire back was wet, and it was enough to make her dress incredibly uncomfortable. Now Bickslow really did have to get her home. Turning back around quickly, he picked up his jacket and shook it out, then draped it over her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm okay. I think I just really want to go home so I can have a nice, warm shower." Fountain water, though it probably looks somewhat clean, Lucy didn't even want to _know_ what was actually in that water.

"That can most definitely be arranged."

* * *

It felt just a little strange coming home to an empty and dark apartment, especially for Bickslow. It felt just as strange knowing that Ingrid wasn't in her room, either, and Bickslow was having to remind himself that he didn't need to go in and check on her like he usually did each night before going to bed, just because there wasn't anyone to actually check in on.

And the apartment just felt too quiet to him, too. As soon as he'd opened the door, he'd noticed it, and he really didn't like it. It wasn't like it was constantly noisy, either, because Ingrid wasn't exactly one to scream and cry all day long – no, she was good when it came to that – but it was still too quiet. Bickslow only put that down to the fact that he _knew_ Ingrid wasn't there though, and maybe, he just missed her because she was always there.

She was just across the hall though. He had no reason to worry, like he seemed to be deep down. He just needed to enjoy his night off and the sleep-in he'd get from not being woken up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday by his daughter.

But first, he needed to go to bed.

He sighed as he reached the end of the hall, right before Lucy was about to turn and head into the bathroom instead to take the shower she needed. "Did you um…" He cleared his throat when Lucy shrugged his jacket off her shoulders and tossed it inside the bathroom once she opened the door. "The uh… zip," he mumbled. "On your dress." _Did you need me to undo it since I had to do it up in the first place? God, why couldn't I just_ say _that? How hard is it?_

Lucy smiled and let out a nervous chuckle. She hadn't exactly thought about how she was going to get out of the dress, but she was realising that she really was going to need Bickslow's help to do that. Her arms didn't bend the way she needed them to to get out of it. "Yeah, please, if you wouldn't mind," she said.

Bickslow waited until she'd pulled off her shoes and had pulled the pins out of her hair that was still damp from the fountain before he actually stepped into the bathroom. For some reason, undoing the zip on her dress felt a whole lot different to actually doing it up. It didn't help that he was seriously wishing he could actually take the entire dress off of her and then get in the shower with her.

But undoing it… Hell, he was nervous for some reason, and he didn't even understand it. He was quite good at undoing zips on dresses, just… Apparently not when it came to ones Lucy was wearing. First it had been the zip getting stuck on the wedding dress, now it was the zip sticking because it was still wet.

Lucy, on the other hand, was really just glad she wasn't standing in front of the mirror. If she was, Bickslow would have known that she was blushing, and she really didn't need him knowing that, even though with what was running through her head, he'd pretty quickly be figuring it out. Lucy was sure that if she bit her lip any more she'd be tasting her own blood, but it was all that was keeping her from saying something incredibly stupid. And, by under no circumstances was that stupid thought in her head about _maybe_ not showering alone.

No. She wasn't thinking about actually asking if Bickslow wanted to take her up on _her_ offer to join her in the shower for once. Well, she was, but she really didn't know whether to actually open her mouth or not and quite possibly make a fool of herself.

And even on the off chance that she didn't make a complete fool of herself and Bickslow _did_ want to actually get in the shower with her, Lucy was ninety-nine percent sure that he really would not be as into her as he currently was once he saw what she looked like without her clothes. To say her body had gone through a few changes was an understatement, and Lucy most certainly did not look the same as she had when she'd first woken up in that world and that body.

She really hoped Bickslow wasn't as shallow as he'd once seemed, because if he still was, Lucy was going to feel even worse about how she looked and felt.

But she needed something else – something more – and she almost wished she didn't have to, because that was part of why she was even considering turning around and making her offer. It was just a shower though. It wasn't like she could do anything, and even if she could, it wasn't like she knew what to do. She wasn't _completely_ naïve, but she hadn't done anything of that nature with anyone else. But she still wanted to, and she wanted to with Bickslow.

Lucy just didn't want to make a fool of herself.

 _But he's going to see you naked eventually, hopefully._

The worst thing that could happen was that she'd get a little embarrassed, and that wasn't even considering the fact that the coming months would be more than a little painful if she really wasn't able to ever sleep with him. Of course, that was still just something Lucy never expected to want, but she was really just using her raging hormones as an excuse for everything those days.

She nodded when his hands came away after getting the zip down all the way, and smiled weakly. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"You're very wel—" He'd only tried to lighten the mood for himself more than anything, because he still didn't understand why he felt so awkward over a damn zipper, but he hadn't even been able to get _welcome_ out before Lucy was kissing him.

Unexpected, yes. But it was great, too. There was an intensity to it that he'd never felt before, and it only made Bickslow wonder just why it was there.

When Lucy pulled away, she did so almost reluctantly, because Bickslow could see how flushed she was, and she could see just how confused he was. Biting back on her anxiety, she bit her lip again and nervously said, "So uh, did you know that when you've been drinking, you always kind of joke about how I should shower with you?"

Bickslow grinned. He liked where this conversation was going, or at least where he thought and hoped it was going. "I was never joking."

"W-Well um… You know that I want to… You know…"

"Fuck me?"

Lucy glanced down to where her hands were laid flat against his chest and let out a nervous laugh. _Well, that's putting it bluntly…_ "But… You know that I can't. Yet. Because of everything that happened before with the bleeding and all…" she mumbled. _Yes, Lucy. Be weirder. Make him find this even more entertaining than he already does._ "But if you maybe wanted to… Shower… With me… Then that would be okay…"

Oh, she was just so awkwardly adorable that Bickslow was almost tempted to let her keep going. He wanted to see how far she would actually go before just giving up and kicking him out of the room so she could shower _alone_ , but that would just be too mean.

He knew that they really couldn't do anything. Not just because _she_ didn't want to, but it was quite literally the doctor's orders, and Bickslow was sure as hell going to keep his distance because he didn't want to do anything to hurt her _or_ the babies. If that just meant waiting to actually have sex with her, then yeah, he'd wait, and he would do so as patiently as he could manage.

But showering together? Oh yes. Bickslow really did want to do that. Probably more than he should, anyway, considering it would literally _just_ be a shower. But showering with people was always fun, even though Bickslow had practically zero experience with showers that involved his pregnant girlfriend and _not_ shower sex. But there was also a first for everything.

He leant down to quickly press his lips to hers, almost catching her off-guard, before murmuring, "Told you you'd take me up on my offer one day."

Lucy rolled her eyes, yet began reaching for the buttons on his shirt while his own hands remained glued to her waist, not daring to roam any higher or lower just yet. She was the one that needed to be in control right then, not him, because she was the one that was in new territory. "Shut up. Don't make me change my mind," she smirked. She wasn't going to, but she could at least tease him. "But…" she added, and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth again as her fingers stopped pulling the buttons through the holes. "You know I've never… Never done… Anything, really…"

"I know," he whispered, and he smiled softly as she glanced back up to meet his gaze. "But you know that kind of makes you an actual Virgin Mary, right?"

"Call me that again and I will hurt you."

"Noted."

As soon as his shirt was off and on the floor with his jacket, he was leaning back down to capture her lips, and carefully walked her backwards until he could pull the shower door open and get the water running. Her hands fumbled with his belt buckle as his own slid down to her hips. Their lips never parted, and each second she only grew bolder, but her clear lack of experience to do with anything in that department was something Bickslow never thought he'd find so damn attractive. He almost wished that they weren't having to wait, because he was so hard already from just knowing that he would finally get to see what was under that dress.

She seemed to freeze once Bickslow was left standing in just his boxer briefs, his arousal clearly evident through the thin material if it hadn't been already. He gave her an impish smirk when she looked back up, and Bickslow was witnessing for the first time just what shy and turned on looked like together. "I'd apologise, but… Y'know. Not gonna happen."

Except Lucy was glad that he wasn't going to apologise, because she was strangely flattered that she could do that to him, and that was without even touching him – which, incidentally, was something she wasn't sure if she wanted to do. Nodding, she turned around – her self consciousness getting the better of her in the moment – and slipped the strap for her dress down and off her shoulder.

"We don't have to do this now if you don't want to," Bickslow whispered, his breath hot by her ear as his hands closed around her waist from where he stood behind her.

But it was just a shower. Lucy knew she was making a bigger deal out of it than she needed to. It wasn't as if she was glad it was just a shower, either, because she really wished she could do something – anything – to relieve the near constant ache between her legs. But she couldn't. She couldn't do a damn thing.

Still though, she couldn't help but be slightly nervous. But even if she was nervous, she realised that she wanted to do that – even if that was something as simple as taking a stupid shower together. Lucy shook her head and slowly reached for the top of her dress again and pulled it down over her breasts and then her stomach, and let it fall to the floor to pool at her feet.

He stepped back so she could step out of her underwear – and he knew which drawer _those_ had come from – and watched in some sort of daze as she stepped into the shower. He'd seen her in just a bra when she'd been finishing changing, but right then, she was very much as naked as the day she was born and Bickslow was realising that he was a very, very lucky man.

And that was still with her back facing him.

He quickly pulled the rest of his own clothes down and almost tripped in the process, and stepped into the shower behind her, closing the door with him. He reached for her waist to gently pull her back against his chest and he quickly found himself regretting that decision when his arousal pressed against her ass. He didn't even need to see Lucy's face to know that she was blushing as much as he was, if not more so, but he didn't pull back.

Bickslow dropped his head to lightly graze his lips up her shoulder and the side of her neck to her ear, and smirking, he whispered, "Are you going to keep your back to me the entire time?" He wouldn't exactly have any problems with that, but he would like it a whole lot better if she actually turned around.

"I… Maybe," she mumbled.

"Why?"

Because she was embarrassed, and she didn't want to be. It wasn't exactly like she could back out now, not that she wanted to, either.

His hands slid down to her hips and he whispered again, "Do you need me remind you that you're beautiful? Because I can, and I will."

She looked over her shoulder before she slowly began to turn herself around. "Well, it wouldn't hurt…" She did kind of need to hear it though, and she was almost annoyed that he'd even guessed that. When she finally turned around, Bickslow was just as close to her as he had been before – his chest just grazing against her breasts, her belly touching his own flat stomach, and his hardened length against her thigh. But Lucy didn't mind, as she was realising.

Bickslow only leant back slightly so he could let his eyes wander down her body, and he felt himself harden even more. He couldn't stop his hands from slipping a little lower before sliding back up to graze against the sides of her breasts. "Yup. Definitely beautiful," he murmured before ducking his head to kiss her again, and not as softly as his voice had been.

Her back hit the cold of the glass wall, yet her hands continued to reach for everywhere she could while tongues and teeth battled wildly. Her hands were in his hair, on his face, his shoulders, arms, chest, hips – everywhere she could reach, she touched.

But as soon as she became more curious and her hand slipped between them, he pulled back suddenly, leaving just her fingertips lightly grazing the flesh beneath his navel, yet unmoving. "Question," he began, clearing his throat and looking down to her flushed face. She wasn't looking back at him though – her eyes were fixated on her hand, and Bickslow had no idea what was running through her head right then. "What _exactly_ does no sex mean? 'Cause if it's just no _actual_ sex…" If it was that, then Bickslow's life would be _so_ much better, and he could probably make Lucy's a whole lot better, too.

Lucy smiled and sighed quietly. "It means no sex. At all."

"So… Does that mean I can't even do…" His hand slid down from her waist, trailing down over her damp skin to her hip before sliding between them and to between her thighs. She didn't stop him, and her chest only rose and fell with a harsh breath as his fingers brushed against her clit. "…This?"

She _wished_ he could, but he couldn't. "N-No," she whispered. She pushed his hand away before looking back down to where her other hand was, and she swallowed her nervousness to add, "I can't do anything, but… But just because I can't, it doesn't mean _you_ can't…"

Her fingers closed around him and he couldn't help the moan that slipped past his lips. "You… What are you doing?"

"Um… Learning," Lucy mumbled. That was the truth, wasn't it? Lucy was more than embarrassed to admit it, considering the current predicament, but she figured that she had no choice. She gave an experimental squeeze before slowly sliding her hand up his shaft. "I mean, if you… If you wanted me to, that is. Because I… You know that I've never… So I don't know if… Or what…"

Bickslow's hand went to her chin to tilt her head back up, and quickly kissed her so she wasn't having to ramble any more. Words weren't her forte right then, but he still knew what she was saying, or what she was trying to say, at least.

He wanted her to, and he wanted her to a lot, because he just wanted _her_. But he knew that she was a virgin (sort of), and Bickslow was figuring it was pretty safe to assume she'd never given anyone a handjob, either. He didn't care though. If anything, it really did just make her all the more attractive and impossibly hotter than she already was, because _he_ was the one that she was willing to do those things with.

But as much as he loved that, and he really wasn't opposed to _teaching_ her, Bickslow still wasn't going to push her. They could wait – _he_ could wait, as much as his dick disagreed. His forehead rested against hers when he pulled away again, and he tried to read her face, but he couldn't. "You don't need to. I can survive, I promise," he smirked.

"But I… I want to," Lucy whispered.

If she wanted to… Well, Bickslow wasn't exactly going to stop her. "Are you sure?"

Lucy nodded, and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth again. "I want to be able to do more, I really do, but I can't," she whispered again, and she only glanced down to where she was still holding him in her hand. "But this, I can do, because it's not… It's not _strictly_ sex, and it's not me."

It was one-sided, which Bickslow loathed, but he'd make it up to her in two weeks' time. Oh, he'd definitely make it up to her then. For now, he would cope with that. His own hand covered hers, and he gently moved it back down his length as he softly kissed her lips again with a smirk still on his own. "Like this then."

* * *

Her eyes flicked up from the book she had sitting on her lap and to the former Seith mage standing in the hall in front of the spare bedroom. Sighing, she quickly closed the book over her thumb to keep her page and rolled her eyes. "Bickslow, you've been standing there for ten minutes. What on earth are you doing?" she asked.

"Thinking," he answered absentmindedly.

" _Why_ are you thinking?"

Bickslow smirked as he closed the door behind him then headed back to the bed. "Because I'm a human and humans think sometimes."

"Ha-ha. Aren't you funny," Lucy said sarcastically. She properly marked her page with a bookmark and set her book on the nightstand beside her as Bickslow climbed into bed. "But I don't like it when you think. It usually doesn't end well."

"And I love you too."

Lucy giggled as Bickslow crawled over her to switch the lamp off before he moved down to settle his head against his favourite pillow. "Tell me what you were thinking about though," she said quietly. He'd been standing in front of the spare room for ten minutes straight, unmoving, so of course Lucy wanted to know what he'd been thinking about.

He sighed and pushed the quilt back just so he wasn't hidden beneath it. "I was thinking about moving," he answered honestly, and his answer caught Lucy off guard.

"Moving?" Lucy repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Like to a bigger place. A house or something, maybe."

Lucy pushed Bickslow's head up and motioned for him to move back up, patting the empty space in bed beside her. She still didn't have any problems with being used as a human pillow each night before bed when they just talked about their days, but when he suddenly brings up something like moving, Lucy strangely just wanted to be able to actually look at Bickslow, as simple as it was. She reached behind her to turn the lamp back on, then waited until Bickslow was lying on his side in front of her before asking, "Where is this suddenly coming from?"

"Well, I had lunch with Freed and Ever today, right, and we were just talking about a lot of things, then Ever asked again if we'd started buying any baby things yet," Bickslow began to explain. "I said that we hadn't, because I guess it's still a little bit too early for that. But, it got me thinking about, well… The future, I suppose." It wasn't the first time he'd thought about the future, though. Admittedly, Bickslow had been thinking about that a lot over the last few weeks, but it had mostly just been about Lucy and wondering whether or not they'd still be together. That wasn't something he was going to tell her, though. Hell no.

But telling her that he was thinking about something that was quite logical to him was something he could do.

"So where does suddenly thinking about moving fit into this?" Lucy asked. She wasn't going to mention that she'd completely forgotten that baby shopping was going to be a thing they'd need to do at some point, and she wasn't going to tease the former Seith mage over doing something like thinking about the future. She quite liked that, if she had to be perfectly honest, because at least _someone_ in the relationship was. Lucy had found that she wasn't doing much thinking lately.

"Because I'm thinking that we're going to need a bigger place at some point, regardless of whether or not we end up working out and, you know, staying together."

 _I hope we do._ She smiled softly and whispered, "At some point, maybe, but why are you thinking about this _now_?"

"Well, the twins are only going to really be a year younger than Ingrid, so we're going to have three toddlers at once," Bickslow began to explain.

Lucy shrugged. "It's about thirteen months' difference by the time I have them."

"Same thing," he said. "But, you know this apartment isn't exactly all that big, especially since we'll have three kids. I guess if it wasn't twins, it would be okay for a little while because we wouldn't have our hands quite so full, but since it _is_ twins, it means two of everything."

"Bicks, I know how twins work, strangely enough."

"I know you do. I'm just saying that we're going to need more room, because I don't think the spare bedroom is going to be big enough for twins. Even as just a nursery. It's smaller than Ingrid's room, and there's still all that stuff in the wardrobe in there that we haven't gone through, plus everything else we've shoved in there since getting here. We don't have anywhere else to put any of that, either."

She furrowed her brow as she tried to get her over-tired brain to function. Maybe it was because she was so tired, having been up most of the night before because of a teething infant who did not want to sleep (or do anything other than cry), but Lucy couldn't quite see the necessity of moving. She could see how the spare bedroom would be more than a little cramped with two cribs in there, because even with just one, Ingrid's room was cramped, but it wasn't exactly like they'd be needing much room for the first few months of their lives. She could see that they were going to be needing more room, just…

Eventually.

Not yet.

"And, you know," Bickslow continued, "Ingrid's going to be moving around herself soon, so we probably should've started baby proofing everything. And even if we did stay here, by the time the twins are Ingrid's age, she'll be nearly two, and we're really going to need more room. We can't have three kids in this apartment. It's just too small. And besides, the twins are going to want their own rooms at some point in their lives, especially since there's a chance they won't _both_ be girls or boys."

Lucy sighed. "I suppose you have a point there, but it's not exactly like we can move right now, anyway," she said. She was grateful for their position right then so she could duck her head against his chest so he wasn't witnessing her blush as she added, "And even if we do actually consider moving, like to a house or a bigger apartment, even, that's kind of a big deal, even though we already live together. I mean, I'm not saying I wouldn't want to, but… But to me it's just…"

"I know," Bickslow whispered. He'd considered that factor, too, in all the time he'd been thinking about it, which had admittedly had only been all afternoon and evening. Actually moving someplace else was different to what they were already doing. It wasn't exactly like they'd wanted to live together in the first place, but they hadn't had much of a choice. Now though, it was more of a case that Bickslow didn't want to live separately. It didn't help that he didn't want to be away from Ingrid, either. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she stayed like she was, Bickslow continued, "But we _could_ move. It would obviously take some planning and looking at all that boring shit like finances, but we could."

"Before or after the twins are born?"

"Before," he answered. "That way, we would save having to baby proof this place for Ingrid, and everything would be sorted for the twins."

If it was before she was due, then they really didn't have all that much time. If they did decide to move, then Lucy already knew for certain that she would want to have everything sorted out before she reached her third trimester. She figured by then she would already be stressing about the arrival of the twins, and adding the stress of moving would just be too much for her.

But even if moving was suddenly seeming like it was a good idea, because Bickslow really had made a few good points that she hadn't even considered once, talking about it late on a weeknight was not the best time to be doing so, especially when Bickslow needed to be up for work early, and Lucy just really needed her sleep. Lifting her head, Lucy sighed quietly again then said, "Can we talk about this some more on the weekend? 'Cause, you know, moving is a big thing and there's a lot of factors to consider, and right now, I'm not thinking all that straight and I make stupid decisions when I'm tired." She paused before quickly leaning back over and kissing his cheek and smiling innocently. "Not that I mean moving would be a stupid decision, especially with you because I love you, just in case that was what you thought I meant."

"Well, it is now…"

"I just need to think about it, and then we need to talk about it some more, okay? Just later. It's not a stupid idea. I actually kind of like it."

"Uh-huh."

She reached to turn off the light again, leaving the room in darkness aside from the small amount of light streaming in through the window from the city, then leant over again to quickly kiss the corner of his mouth before she settled herself on her side of the bed. "Bedtime now," Lucy said, far too brightly considering her exhaustion level. "Goodnight, Bicks."

* * *

The next morning saw Bickslow miraculously getting to work on time, but that probably had something to do with the fact that he'd been up since 3 a.m. and he'd really just had nothing else to do at home that morning.

It was a Friday again, thankfully, exactly a week after the gala, so he didn't have much to do that day aside from go to a few meetings, make a few calls, procrastinate. The usual for Bickslow, really. He was pretty confident that it was going to be a good day.

"Good morning, Bickslow."

He looked up from his phone just as he passed the cubicle closest to his office door, and saw his assistant, James, sitting there. "Oh, morning, James," Bickslow greeted him with a slight wave of his hand before unlocking his office door.

James followed him in with a binder under an arm, then set it down on the desk in front of the shelves as Bickslow went about opening up the blinds in his office to see out into the rest of the office floor. "How are you this morning?" the assistant asked politely, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You're here a little earlier than usual. Not even Mr. Justine has arrived yet."

"Tired," Bickslow answered as he sat down at his desk after folding his jacket over the back of his chair. "I've been up since three because of my daughter, so I'm tired." He looked at this watch then just to check what the time actually was, and only blinked when he saw that he really was in fact early to work for a change. Only half an hour before he was due to start, but still.

"Well I'll get you your coffee right away then," James laughed.

"Please."

As James left, Bickslow pulled his laptop out and opened it up to what he'd left open early that morning: property listings. He knew he wasn't supposed to be looking into it because Lucy wanted to wait until it was the weekend to properly talk about it, but Bickslow hadn't been able to help himself. There'd been nothing on T.V. to watch, and it hadn't been like he'd been able to go to sleep, because he'd been too busy making sure Ingrid's fever wasn't getting too high. So he'd sat in the lounge room with his seven-and-a-half-month-old daughter in his lap and his computer in front of him until the sun came up, allowing Lucy to get the sleep she needed.

He knew they needed four bedrooms, so that was what he'd been looking at. Three would just put them in the same scenario they were currently in, so Bickslow hadn't even bothered looking at anything with less than four bedrooms. The twins were fraternal, not identical, so even though they still had a while to wait before they knew the sexes, Bickslow was taking into account that they'd need their own rooms when they were older. If they were both girls, they'd probably just end up fighting, if they were both boys, they'd probably just end up arguing, and if they ended up being a girl and a boy, then they'd probably end up wanting to kill each other at some point because they were kids and kids were weird. When they were still babies, sure, they could share a room. They'd probably be fine with sharing a room right up until they had to start any form of school, but anything after that, Bickslow figured it would just be easier for everyone.

So four bedrooms was the magic number. One for Lucy and himself, one for Ingrid, and two for the twins.

But the four bedroom houses and apartments in Magnolia were strangely disappointing, and as Bickslow began to scroll through them again while waiting for what would be his third cup of coffee already, he was realising that fact again. They were all either too old, far too expensive as far as the rent goes (which was saying something, because he'd come to realise that what they paid in rent for their apartment was a lot, too), too small, or too far away from everything like their friends or where Bickslow worked.

He had, also, briefly considered buying, if they did in fact decide to move. For whatever reason, they had almost _too_ much money in one of their accounts – neither had any idea why their other selves had a few hundred thousand in the bank, but they'd decided it was best not to touch it since they'd been able to reason that it had been there for a specific purpose – but it was enough that they could easily afford to pay off a considerable amount of a house which would reduce what they'd have to pay back on a mortgage.

But the fact still remained that they couldn't have anything with less than four bedrooms, and everything Bickslow had seen so far that had four bedrooms was just not what he had in mind. Surely he was allowed to have ideas of what he wanted to live in, because if he moved, he didn't want to have to be moving again. He wanted somewhere that he could actually raise their kids, from now until they decided to move out and get on with their own lives. Bickslow guessed that that was what Lucy would want too, if she decided she did want to move (which, they hadn't talked about yet, but it had been all Bickslow had thought about since he'd woken up again at 3 a.m.).

 _Five bedrooms though…_

Five bedrooms could work. Two would be empty for a few years, and one of those would remain as a spare bedroom for a whole lot longer, but that was okay. Worst case scenario if they did move into a five bedroom house, the fifth room would be used when Lucy decided she hated him and really didn't want to be with him anymore (which Bickslow really hoped didn't happen) but the entire living separately thing would just be too frustrating because of the kids. Or, best case scenario, it got turned into something like an office or a place that they could go to to hide from the evil monsters they'd created, or… It got used as an actual bedroom, just not for himself or Lucy.

 _No. Don't think about that. Do not, by any circumstances, think about that._

Thinking about even the possibility of there being a fourth baby was something that was just bound to end horribly for Bickslow, but it was something he just couldn't help. It was the first time Bickslow had even actually thought about that – having _another_ baby with _Lucy_ – but in the three seconds it had been lodged in his brain so far, he knew it was something that he liked. But he also knew that it was something Lucy wouldn't like. One kid was enough for them, and considering they had another two on the way, that was _more_ than enough. And considering Lucy hadn't exactly wanted any of them to begin with, Bickslow highly doubted her ever wanting a fourth, and that was assuming that they were still together a few years down the track.

But Bickslow liked the idea of it. He'd been an only child, and he'd hated it. It had been boring and he'd been miserably lonely for a long time because he just hadn't really had any other kids around him to play with or grow up with. It was because of that that Bickslow had always known he'd want a big family when he did reach that point in his life. Even when he'd been more than fine with how things were before he'd been thrown into his new role of being a parent and had had no intentions of ever settling down any time soon before then, he'd known that a big family was what he'd want one day.

And in a way, their family was already pretty big, and Bickslow loved that all three of their children would be able to grow up and play together, especially so since they'd really just be a year apart in age, but a fourth…

He really did like the idea of a fourth kid one day. Not for a while, of course – maybe four or five years down the track if things were still good between himself and Lucy – but one day, maybe.

But Bickslow sure as hell wasn't going to bring up just why he thought a five bedroom house could be a good option for them to move into, if Lucy decided she did like the idea of moving at all. Or at least, he wouldn't give her an exact reason. He'd probably just give her a vague answer like, _'just in case.'_

Just in case he manages to make her hate him, or just in case they ever have another baby, unplanned, or better yet, planned.

 _Just in case._


	32. Chapter 32

Bickslow found himself really hating the entire 'no sex' thing more than he thought possible. He knew Lucy didn't like it either – oh, she'd made that quite clear – but him? He really did hate it all sometimes. You would think that he wouldn't, because in a sense it was a really great situation he'd found himself in, considering he had a girlfriend that apparently really, _really_ wanted him, but couldn't exactly have him like she wanted to, which only meant that it was all extremely one sided…

But it sucked. Or, maybe that wasn't the right word to use, taking into account how Bickslow found himself _that_ particular morning, since it involved them standing in the kitchen with Lucy in front of him and on her knees, leaving Bickslow almost completely speechless. Again. He wasn't even able to make any jokes about how blowjobs were _apparently_ supposed to stop after you were married, because he'd technically been proven wrong (so _blissfully_ wrong, for which he was glad for for a change), and if he hadn't already realised that the whole 'married' with kids life really wasn't horrible in the slightest, he was sure he would be coming to that conclusion right about then.

There was just one problem, and that was that Bickslow was technically late to work. And sure, it wasn't exactly like he cared that much because he would really much rather be where he was right then than on his way to work or actually at work, but he'd honestly been planning on getting to work on time that morning just because it was a half day for him with Lucy having her much awaited appointment that afternoon. He was trying not to get fired from a job that he still didn't know all that much about (though he was trying to get better. His other self had decided that spending six years in college and law school was a good idea to become a corporate lawyer, so Bickslow had to at least try and get his way through some of the daunting books he figured he would've used in college), and turning up late and then leaving early more than he was already allowed to was not the way to go about that.

But it wasn't exactly like Bickslow was going to stop Lucy from what she was doing. No way. She was too good for him to do that – surprisingly too good, actually, and it really only made Bickslow wonder if she really hadn't done anything before him, but that wasn't something he'd complain about, either. He didn't really care all that much, to be perfectly honest. All that mattered was that she was getting so frustrated that she wasn't allowed to do anything (or more accurately, _he_ wasn't allowed to do anything to _her,_ which did also frustrate him), that she found it necessary to surprise him with moments like that.

Bickslow did have to admit she was a fast learner, though. Then again, she'd had plenty of opportunities to _improve_ and _refine_ her skills over the last two weeks, and who was Bickslow to deny her of that? He wasn't capable of doing that. Not at all.

Just then, his phone was suddenly vibrating in the pocket of his pants that he still had on, and he just about had a heart attack when he felt it. He'd been planning on ignoring it just because he was so close already and the last thing he wanted to be doing was answering it, but then the blonde kneeling on the hardwood floors in front of him was pulling her mouth off him and sitting up slightly. "What? No, no no no," Bickslow whined as he kind of just looked down to Lucy slightly in shock. "Don't stop now, come on." She couldn't leave him like that. That was cruel on so many levels. He wouldn't leave her like that if it was reversed. _She is evil._

Lucy shrugged and instead only reached into his pocket – something she realised only made Bickslow whimper slightly – to pull his phone out, and hand it to him after quickly checking the screen. "It's Laxus," she said. "Answer it."

Ah, yes. Trust Laxus to be the reason he wasn't going to be getting off right then. "Laxus can wait." He'd be seeing him in work shortly anyway, so yeah, the guy could wait. Bickslow, on the other hand… "I can't."

"Just answer it already."

Why Lucy was so intent on him answering his stupid phone, he had absolutely no idea. Bickslow was realising that he almost didn't want to know, just because it was that weird, but it wasn't anywhere near as weird as the fact that he was answering a call from his boss and best friend while he was still hard and had been right in the middle of getting a blowjob from his girlfriend. That was weird as all hell.

But… Bickslow tried really hard not to think about that too much when he only rolled his eyes and quickly answered the call and brought it up to his ear. "What the fuck do you want?" he growled before Laxus could even get a single word in.

"Oh, good morning to you too," the former Lightning mage muttered on the other end.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just get to the point. Why are you calling me?"

Lucy stayed where she was as Bickslow spoke to Laxus, and she only silently looked around at the cupboards that surrounded her from where they were in the middle of the kitchen, and she made a mental note to vacuum the floors later. It was only when she looked up that she noticed Bickslow wasn't actually looking at her – he was looking straight ahead, so he wasn't paying even the slightest bit of attention to her, and that was honestly too good for her right then.

"I was just wondering if you were actually gonna show up to—"

"O-Oh my go—fuck, wha—what are you…" Bickslow didn't really hear anything Laxus said before he was cutting him off, and surprisingly (to him, anyway) he managed to pull the phone away from his ear just as he looked down to see Lucy take him into her mouth again.

There was no way in hell she was doing that. Nope. No way. _Oh god, she is._

Bickslow only stared down at her in shock as she slowly slid her lips back up his cock and let her tongue circle the tip, before she was taking him back in until her lips met her hand still wrapped around the base. All Bickslow could do was watch as he gripped the edge of the counter and held onto his phone in his other hand.

Pure, unadulterated evil. That was what she was. He hadn't wanted to know what was going through her head before, because honestly, he'd been just a little afraid of what was swirling around in there, but now Bickslow really didn't _need_ to know (though it wasn't like Lucy had planned on doing that. Not really, anyway). All he knew was that she was more twisted than he'd ever given her credit for, and that it only made her that much sexier. Which really, he hadn't even been sure was possible because he'd thought she'd reached the holy pinnacle of beauty once she'd decided to see what her _mouth_ could do to him, but he'd been proved wrong.

He was so fine with that, though.

Unfortunately, Laxus shouting at him loud enough for him to hear even though he was holding the phone as far away from him as he could possibly manage seemed to pull him out of the trance he was in, and suddenly Bickslow was tearing his eyes away from her own that were so positively filled with mischief as she looked up at him, and looking to his phone with the call timer still flashing on the screen.

Right. He was still on the phone with Laxus.

 _Fuck_.

He had to clear his throat as he brought it back to his ear, though that time he made sure to keep watching Lucy just in case she decided to pull any more tricks on him (it didn't help that she really did look incredibly good down there, at least according to Bickslow). "W-What was that you said before?" Bickslow managed to ask. He had to pull the phone away for just another moment and bite down on his knuckle to keep himself from moaning.

She was going to pay for that.

And as much as Bickslow questioned why he hadn't just hung up on Laxus right then and there, he knew Lucy didn't want him to for whatever fucked up reason.

"—was asking if you were actually coming in today," Laxus said, with Bickslow only catching the important part of it by the time he had the phone back to his ear.

"Uh… Uh-huh. Yup. I'm just uh… _O-Oh_ … Jes—" Bickslow made the grave mistake of looking away for just moment, and his train of thought was completely halted (and derailed) as he looked back down just as he felt himself slipping into her throat, and he was greeted by the sight of her lips around the base of his shaft and her nose against the lilac shirt he was still wearing. _That_ was something new, and when she pulled her mouth completely off of him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, he took that as his opportunity to quickly wrap up his conversation with Laxus. So clearing his throat again, Bickslow put the phone back to his ear and said, "Uh, sorry about that, but I'll… I'll be going in to work today. Something just um… Something came up and it uh… It had to be dealt with."

"Right…" the former Dragon Slayer mumbled. "You sound weird right now. What's up with you?"

"Nothing. Nothing is u-up." He just about choked on his words as Lucy took him back in hand and let her tongue snake out to swirl around the flared head before engulfing him once again, and all he could do was put a hand on her head to get her to stop moving for once. Although, he only found that that proved to give her a brief opportunity where she found herself wondering what she could do with her tongue when she wasn't allowed to move her mouth. He couldn't deal with any more distractions right then, though – or at least not for the next thirty seconds. "I just, uh… I'll be on my way once I… finish… this. Quickly." Oh yes. Definitely quickly.

"…Okay?"

"Uh-huh. Yup, alright, gotta go, see you later, bye!" And Bickslow didn't even give Laxus a chance to say anything else before he was quickly ending the call and dropping his phone on the counter behind him. He'd let go of Lucy by then too, and he was only sighing and saying, "I hate you."

But Lucy only shrugged and gave him a look as if to say, _'No you don't.'_ Though the slight hum that went with it had him letting out another quiet moan.

And he didn't, really, because he loved her too much to ever hate her. But when she made him _talk_ to someone other than _her_ when his cock was in her mouth, he… Yeah, no, he still didn't really hate her. Or dislike her. Bickslow was really just in shock still. There was only so many surprising things he could handle in one day. He could deal with Lucy deciding that he could be just a little late for work that morning because she was getting adorably frustrated, and he could deal with the odd comments from her where she'd all but begged him to just fuck her (but he'd said no, as much as he really wanted to, just because her doctor had said no sex and he was gonna make sure _she_ followed that), and he could even deal with her deciding to see just how much of him he could fit in her mouth...

Those were all good things to deal with.

But Lucy deciding that he should take a phone call while giving him a blowjob in their kitchen was not something he wanted to deal with again. He had to admit that her warped little mind was proving to turn him on just a little bit more than it should because he really wondered if anyone else knew just how twisted she really was, but still, even Bickslow had his limits, and where he'd really thought that nothing in the world could surprise him anymore, he'd been yet again proved wrong.

He'd been proved wrong on a lot of things when it came to Lucy, actually. He still wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

But it was to no one's surprise (or maybe just a little to Lucy's, even though she really should've been used to it by then, because it wasn't like he never warned her) that Bickslow really didn't last all that long after finally hanging up on Laxus, and he only tipped his head back until it hit the bottom of the cabinet behind him and let out a strangled moan as he came, spilling himself in her mouth against her tongue as she kept her lips closed around him.

He couldn't help but snicker when Lucy got up from the ground after a minute and only gave him a small and tight-lipped smile before she silently headed for the bathroom down the end of the hall.

Bickslow knew he probably shouldn't find it funny that the one thing Lucy hadn't been game enough to do so far was swallow, but he did. It wasn't like he'd ever expected her to do otherwise, because she was still so innocent and sweet in his eyes (despite the fact that he had the image of what Lucy looked like with a dick in her mouth stuck in his head forever from every other time she'd been a good, _ahem_ , student, since he had taken it upon himself to be her teacher and guide her through the world of all things sexual and slightly kinky, but the latter was just wishful thinking of Bickslow's part) that he still had a slightly difficult time picturing her doing anything that was _not_ innocent.

Well, that was a bit of a lie, because he'd pictured her doing a lot of things that were nowhere near innocent, but still. Aside from the fact that his imagination didn't come close to doing her justice, and that him being the only one to see that side of her (he hoped, really) did wonders for his ego, she was still just that somewhat sassy blonde that he was so incredibly in love with it kind of amazed him, and it was just because of who she was that he felt that way. It wasn't so much about the fact that she was way too attractive for her own good (he'd heard stories about how her attempts at using her sex appeal to get away with things had all completely backfired, and he only wondered if everyone she'd tried it on had been blind), at least according to him, but it was more about who she was beneath all of that.

It was because she made him happy and being able to see her and Ingrid were the best parts of his day.

It was because she was loving, and partly because she was Ingrid's mother, too. It was because she was kind and forgiving, and even Bickslow knew that not everyone deserved that from her, but she was always willing to give someone a second chance and believe when no one else really did.

It was because she was strong and he admired her willpower more than she knew. Even when she was scared, tired, or sick, she never gave up or let herself get stuck behind any obstacle. She always kept trying her best, and she always did so with a smile.

Hell, it was even because she told the absolute _worst_ jokes in the entire world – even worse than Evergreen – but he couldn't help but laugh at them.

Plus, she was a really great pillow, but that wasn't really that important since he loved her before he realised that.

But as much as he loved her, and as much as he hated (but also really loved if he had to be completely honest) their one-sided arrangement, he still didn't _need_ that. Sure, it was great that Lucy wanted to, because really, he was incapable of saying no to her because he didn't really want to, either, and it was even greater that she wanted to go further (seriously, it really did do wonders for his ego), but as much as his body disagreed, he didn't need it.

He could survive a little longer without sex, contrary to popular belief. He wanted it, sure, but it really didn't bother him all that much that they weren't sleeping together yet. And that was just a little strange to Bickslow that he didn't really mind as much as he thought he would have since every other 'relationship' he'd had in the past had really just been all about sex. But then again, he'd never exactly been serious about anyone else he'd ever been with. They were just people who made his life just a little more entertaining for a night or two every now and then.

Lucy was different though. Bickslow knew that. Lucy was different because he _was_ serious about her, and he hadn't even needed to know what she looked like beneath all of her clothes to know that she was still what he wanted. And he wanted her because of who she was, not because of what she looked like, which separated her and put her head and shoulders above everyone else. And sure, Bickslow kind of knew that intimacy was kind of important in relationships, not that he really had any experience with actual proper relationships, but he knew that they'd get there when they got there. It wasn't from a lack of desire that they hadn't, so it really wasn't like that was a problem.

If it really came down to it, though – if the doctor decided that it would be safer for Lucy to wait until after the babies were born, Bickslow could cope. Well, he'd find a way to survive, because that was a _long_ time to wait. If anything, he was more worried about Lucy. Still though, he could only hope that Lucy really would be allowed be intimate, because sex was really, _really_ fun, and in the dark, depraved, and twisted lair that was his brain, Bickslow was looking forward to showing Lucy that.

He would just have to wait a little bit longer for that. Well, hopefully.

When Lucy came back down to the living room, Bickslow had already righted himself in terms of fixing his clothes, and was grabbing the last of his things from the bench to leave for work. Considering all things, it was a relatively quiet morning for them, since Ingrid was being graced with a very rare sleep-in (only because she'd been up most of the night crying and hadn't even gone to sleep until 5 a.m. again anyway), so with their seven-and-a-half-month-old daughter asleep, it had really only given Lucy the opportunity to give Bickslow all of her attention for a change, and Bickslow still wasn't going to complain about that.

He was putting his phone back into his pocket and grabbing his laptop off the bench as Lucy asked, "So are you still going to leave early to come to my appointment?"

Bickslow nodded, and his lips curled into a smirk. It was what they'd been talking about before Bickslow had been made even later for work, and there was something entertaining about them slipping back into it so easily. Not that it was a bad thing, of course. "Yup. It's at one, right?"

"One-fifteen," Lucy clarified.

"Well, I'll still be there." Like he would miss it. He hated that he'd missed the last one where Lucy had found out that baby was in fact _babies_ , though Bickslow was just a little worried that the scan she had that afternoon would only end with them finding out that two was in fact _three_. That, he really did not want. Nuh-uh. After grabbing the keys and making sure he had everything he needed in his satchel to take to work, he stepped up behind Lucy who was making her breakfast and kissed her cheek, then murmured, "And as much as I love you, don't ever do that again."

Lucy glanced to the side. "Do what…?"

"Make me answer the phone when you're sucking me off. It's really not that fun.

"O-Oh, well… So not the… Other thing then…?"

Bickslow only snickered as he saw her cheeks flush. She was so innocent, yet pure evil. It was brilliant and way too sexy. "Yeah, most definitely _not_ the _other_ _thing_ ," he chuckled. "That was good. And, you know… There's a name for that. I believe you'll find it in one of your unpublished and unfinished stories."

Lucy spun around after dropping the dangerously sharp knife she'd been using on the board to stare at the cackling former Seith mage that was smartly retreating over to the front door. "Bickslow! I thought you were going to stop reading those!" she spluttered. It was bad enough Bickslow had come across one of her other self's unfinished works on her computer, but she had dealt with that then and he'd told her that he wasn't going read any more of the _Handcuff Chronicles,_ as he had dubbed it. The problem was that her other self had written more than just a few scenes here and there in random documents. Lucy hadn't wanted to read them, but Bickslow, on the other hand…

He'd apparently had other plans.

He just hadn't been able to help himself, and when he had nothing to do at work (besides his actual work), they were great fun to read. He just had to, you know, make sure he didn't have any meetings because some of them really were far too sexy, and it most definitely didn't help that they all seemed to involve one particular blue-and-black haired narcissist and another blonde angel.

"Yeah, well, I just had to send them all to myself. They're great, though. You should really try reading them!" _Hell, they might give you a few ideas…_ But the scowl Lucy gave him, despite being still incredibly embarrassed, only had that thought running from his mind at full speed. _Yeah, maybe not yet._

* * *

As soon as his afternoon meeting that had apparently been compulsory was over, Bickslow was practically _running_ out of the building. He hadn't wanted to go back to work after leaving for Lucy's appointment, but he'd had no other choice. Meetings were things he hated anyway, but this one…

This one had just seemed to go on and on for what felt like an eternity. Aside from the fact that he'd only had to go because he was apparently important and just had to look pretty sitting with the other board members as they conducted some bullshit interview, he'd had other things on his mind for the entire two-hours, so he hadn't paid attention to anything that had happened at all (but it really wasn't like he'd needed to, so it was fine). He'd just been too busy thinking about what his evening would entail, apart from the obvious _tail_ he'd be getting, and when he made a point of packing up his things when the meeting was over just a little faster than usual and Laxus asked him where he was off to in such a hurry, Bickslow just hadn't been able to help himself by saying he had a hot date to go to. Oh, and of course his lecherous grin went with it, just because Erza's embarrassment from hearing it had been too damn entertaining for Bickslow and he never wasted an opportunity to mess with Lucy's former team.

But it wasn't exactly like a 'hot date' was that far from the truth. It would be hot, and steamy, and it was kind of a date. Well, not really, but whatever. Though, Bickslow did realise after saying that that he probably should try and take Lucy out on another actual, proper date – maybe they could do that date night thing that married couples do? That seemed fun and kind of grown up, and Bickslow was a grown up so he could most definitely do grown up things.

Sometimes.

…Except, things didn't end up going quite to plan. It wasn't hot, and it wasn't steamy, or even anything close to romantic, which seemed to ruin Lucy's expectations of what her first time would be like.

First it had been Ingrid crying because apparently she hadn't liked being left in her crib for all of five extra minutes because Bickslow had, as he had put it when he'd carried Lucy down to the bedroom after getting home from work, _to repay his debt._ So _that_ hadn't quite gone to plan because their kid was probably quite literally out to ruin their sex life (just like the twins).

Then it had been a 'brief' (three hour) pause where it had been _Ingrid's_ playtime because she'd been wide awake from napping all day (literally the only time she wasn't crying those days), then dinner, then waiting for Ingrid to fall asleep after her bath and bedtime routine that had to be done correctly each and every goddamn night because she apparently couldn't sleep without it being done in order…

And then, finally, they'd had some peace and time to themselves. But it still hadn't been quite what they'd expected. It had been awkward for one, since Lucy's belly had started getting in the way (but it wasn't like that had been horrible, because it just required some re-positioning that happened to be fun). Then she'd almost been in tears because at one point because she'd only just remembered that in that world, she'd had a baby less than eight months earlier, and then it had been Bickslow telling her she was stupid because really, like he gave a damn, honestly. He just wanted to get laid (and he quite honestly hadn't been able to tell anyway).

Then it was Lucy having to tell Bickslow to just get the fuck on with it and stop being a wuss because he really could not hurt the babies _or_ her, and if _he_ didn't fuck her, she'd most definitely get someone (or something, perhaps) else to. And then they'd basically just been laughing over the ridiculousness of the entire situation right up until the oh so blissful end, and Bickslow could quite honestly say that it was the first time he had ever laughed his way through sex (even if it was really just more _chuckling_ than actual laughing, and it had been just a little sweet).

So then they just laid there, staring up at the ceiling and catching their breath once again, because holy fucking shit, _that_ had just happened.

"So… That was fun," Lucy said breathlessly as she tugged the silk sheet – she was still wondering just what caused Bickslow to buy silk goddamn sheets – up to cover her breasts, just because she was feeling a little exposed all of a sudden, although why she did, she had absolutely no idea.

It had been fun, though. Or at least it had been for her, even if she was just a little uncomfortable right then because cramps are never fun.

"Definitely fun," Bickslow agreed just as breathlessly. Okay, so awkward, yes, not at all hot or steamy, also yes, but fun? Oh yeah. And sweet. It was kinda sweet, which was a first for him, strangely. "And I think that takes…" He suddenly began counting on his fingers and Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. "Seven things off my bucket list?"

"You have a bucket list…?"

"Oh yeah. It's very extensive, too. Or at least it was once."

"And do you want to tell me just how that crossed seven things off at once?" Lucy asked.

Bickslow rolled to his side then and his lips curled up into an impish smirk. Counting on his fingers again, he began, "One, girlfriend. Two, wife."

"Those were on your bucket list? Really?"

He nodded. Of course they were. "Three," he continued, "Married woman."

"That's the same as two."

"Nope. Two is someone married to _me_ , which you kinda are," the former Seith mage explained. "Three is someone married to someone else, which you also kinda are since you're technically married to my other self. Well, your other self is married to my other self." The dazed look she gave him only had Bickslow quickly rolling his eyes and adding, "It works, okay."

"I'm sure it does," she giggled.

"Four, knocked up."

"…Really?"

He nodded again. "Oh yes. Most definitely." He'd be lying if he said it wasn't something he found just a little attractive… Or a lot when it came to Lucy. "Five, _MILF_."

Lucy's face twisted into something close to disgust and she sat up on an elbow. "A what now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at that one. There was no way he had just called her what she thought he had.

"Mum I'd like to fuck," Bickslow answered without batting an eye. Though, when Lucy just proceeded to glare at him, he inched away from her on the mattress, somewhat fearing for his life. "What?"

"I am not _that_."

"Well, you are…"

"No, I'm not," Lucy said firmly, shaking her head a little. She didn't want to be that, and she didn't really want Bickslow to think of her as that, just because it felt a little… degrading. "And I don't want that to be what you think of me when you see me, either."

 _Ah, fuck. Yes, good job. Offend her. You are literally the best boyfriend ever. You just had to go and offend the pregnant one, too!_ _Oh, shit… No, no, please don't cry. Fuck me._ Bickslow was quickly reaching just to wrap his arms around her as she sniffled and bit back on her tears, and he lightly pressed his lips to her forehead. "Trust me when I say that's not what I think of you when I see you," he whispered. "I think of much nicer things when I look at you."

Lucy sniffled again and curled up against his chest. "Like?"

"Like how you're beautiful," Bickslow said slowly with a soft smile. "And how I'm really incredibly lucky to have you."

"Hm, okay," she mumbled. He was forgiven. "What are six and seven from your bucket list?"

"Ah, well… Six was you."

"That's a little weird."

"Yeah, I know," he admitted with a light chuckle. That one he hadn't exactly been planning on fulfilling at all, though. That was more of just a fantasy, and sure, it happened to involve her in a cheerleader's uniform, but he was still counting it.

"And what about seven?" Lucy asked then.

Seven was undeniably Bickslow's favourite, as lame as it was. He was sure his cheeks would be just a little flushed if he were to look in the mirror, but he tried his best to ignore that as he quietly replied with, "Seven, was with someone that I happen to really love." And then Lucy was blushing as she looked back up, which really just made Bickslow feel a little better about himself.

It was true, though. He'd never actually been with anyone that he cared about, and he'd wanted to, as strange as it was. Meaningless got boring after a while; he'd wanted something better than that. And it wasn't like he'd wanted _meaningful_ – you know, that slow, passionate, _'I'm going to look you directly in the eyes this entire time and make it really awkward for us,'_ kind of sex that all of the lonely middle-aged authors of weird as shit books wrote about, or they had in the movies that Bickslow was ashamed to say that he'd seen because he got bored on weekends sometimes when both Ingrid and Lucy were having their nap time.

He didn't want _that_. He just wanted something better than what he'd always had.

He'd never really moved on it, though. He'd always figured that when he eventually decided he was ready to settle down ten years down the track that he'd get that then.

Except the entire chaotic alternate universe situation happened before that could ever happen and he realised he was already in love with someone else, anyway, and ten years down the track became just three short months.

And it was better. Well, sort of. He didn't really know _how_ it was, because the actual sex itself had been… bad. But whatever. First times weren't always that great because it's just so new and there's too much fumbling for it to be that great. It had still been good, though. And fun. Fun was always good. But it had still been better somehow, and Bickslow loved that.

Just as much as he loved Lucy. Well, not quite as much, but close.

Lucy couldn't help but giggle though. It was kind of cute, and so adorably dorky, and she still had a difficult time reminding herself that it was Bickslow who was actually capable of saying those kinds of things. She was completely convinced that he was really just a giant softy on the inside and he wasn't half as bad as what he let everyone else believe, and she loved it just a little bit too much because he was all hers.

"Okay, that one is kind of sweet," she murmured, softly tilting her head back up to softly press her lips to his. "And I love you, too."

"You know, I've never actually had someone tell me that after sex and really mean it?" he mused. "It's kinda nice."

"Alright, you're kind of ruining the moment now." She didn't exactly want to know what people told him after sex, not when _she_ was his girlfriend… And when she kind of hoped to stay as his girlfriend, too. But you don't say _that_ after sex. Oh no.

"I think I ruined the moment as soon as I brought up my bucket list."

Lucy pulled herself away from the former Seith mage and sat up on the edge of the bed with her back to him to slip on the not-so-crisp-any-longer lilac shirt he'd been wearing earlier. It wasn't exactly like it fit her – it would have if she hadn't been pregnant, maybe – but she didn't really feel like walking into the hall completely naked, and his shirt just happened to be the closest thing to her. "That's a good point," she replied, standing up slowly. "But it was kind of nice until you called me a MILF."

"I feel like if I said you aren't one now, though, I'd be offending you even more," Bickslow tried defending himself before asking, "Where are you off to?" Sure, she looked good walking away, but come on, the bed was kind of cold without her in it.

She didn't turn to look over her shoulder as she sashayed out into the hall. "To the linen cupboard to grab some towels to take a shower." It was as she came back down with the fresh bright green towels folded in her arms that she actually looked to Bickslow sitting up slightly on the bed, and she gave him an all too playful smile as she added while stepping into the bathroom, "Feel free to join me."

Bickslow had never gotten out of bed so fast.


	33. Chapter 33

It was the day before Mother's Day when Bickslow realised it was, in fact, the day before Mother's Day. It had admittedly completely slipped his mind that it was even a day at all, but in his defence, he hadn't had a reason to care about it at all for quite some time since his own mother had died when he'd been eleven.

But now Bickslow had a reason to care about it, because of Lucy, and she was a really great mother – or at least he thought so, but she'd only been one for like three months, too, so she was pretty damn awesome – and he wanted to remind her just how great she was. Plus, it was Lucy's first _actual_ Mother's Day, since the _other_ Lucy had only been pregnant with Ingrid that time the previous year. But regardless, it was _his_ Lucy's first Mother's Day, and that was kind of important.

It hurt his head to think about how just three months earlier their lives had been completely different, too, so he just didn't think. There'd been no Ingrid three months earlier; no twins; no _them_. It wasn't exactly a very pleasant thought for Bickslow, to remember that he'd had none of that just three short months earlier. It almost didn't feel like three months, either (well, it was like barely a week off of three months, but still), but that was all it had been. It was three months he wouldn't take back for anything, though.

Still, the fact that he'd forgotten about Mother's Day and was only just realising it then was suddenly a very big problem. Bickslow realised that Evergreen and Freed asking the day before if he was doing anything for Lucy on Sunday suddenly made sense, too. He'd been wondering why they'd been more disappointed with him than usual, but now he got it. Hell, it being the day before Mother's Day made the massive amounts of guys buying flowers with their kids in the shopping mall that morning slightly less strange, too. But the _'Perfect for Mum'_ stickers on every second object in every aisle in the grocery store was just a _little_ weird. Bickslow was entirely convinced giving razors as a gift was a disaster waiting to happen, and he pitied any poor soul that was actually stupid enough to do so.

Bickslow wasn't stupid enough to do that, thankfully, but that didn't mean he knew what he was actually supposed to get Lucy. Did _she_ even know it was Mother's Day? _Probably_. Which meant if he didn't get her anything or do anything nice for her, he was probably not going to get laid again any time soon. Not that that was important or anything, because doing something nice for Lucy to let her know just how appreciated she was mattered the most.

And now, it was just a matter of figuring out just what to do and what to get her. But it was the day before, and Bickslow realised he really didn't have a lot of time left to figure something out. He would do like, breakfast in bed or something for her, but he couldn't cook. Lucy was on the verge of banning him from the kitchen as it was. He could probably take her out somewhere though, but Bickslow figured he'd be hard pressed to find a place that wasn't booked out or just packed all day.

But then there was the issue of an _actual_ gift. Bickslow thought it should have something to do with Ingrid, since she was their daughter and all. He still didn't even know what to get Lucy for her birthday which was coming up faster than he liked, so how the hell was he supposed to come up with a Mother's Day present?

 _I should probably ask Freed._

Freed was the absolute best at gift-giving – at least according to rest of their team, anyway. Mira had always said the birthday presents Freed had always given her had been perfect, too, so that had to mean something. Of course, there was a difference between Mother's Day gifts and birthday gifts, but still, Bickslow was pretty confident his former team leader would be able to help him out. At the very least, Freed would be able to give him some ideas, and ideas were always welcome.

Stopping momentarily in the aisle, Bickslow fished his phone out of his pocket and quickly called Freed, only staring at the punnets of strawberries next to him as he waited for Freed to pick up. Bickslow doubted the man would be busy. It was ten in the morning on a Saturday. What else was he going to be doing that would make him too busy to pick up the phone? The guy barely had a life, but Freed preferred it that way.

"Yes, Bickslow?" Freed sighed once he had answered.

"Good morning to you too," Bickslow muttered.

"What is it you want?"

"Strawberries."

"Excuse me?"

Bickslow shook his head. "Sorry. I was just… staring at the strawberries," he mumbled before explaining himself, "I'm doing the grocery shopping, and Lucy hates all things strawberry – except soap, apparently – and I just really, really want strawberries…" It was really tempting to buy some, too, but he promised Lucy he wouldn't have any either while they were making her nauseous. _But that was weeks ago, and she doesn't really get morning sickness anymore either… Hmm…_

"Is that all you called me for? To tell me you want strawberries?" Freed asked.

"Ah, no." Bickslow dropped the punnet of strawberries into the cart and moved along the fruits section of the store – he apparently needed to go find avocados. Lucy had even underlined it and put asterisks next to it on the list, they were that important. Why, Bickslow had no idea, but he wasn't going to question it, either. "I actually need your help with something."

"Alright then," Freed nodded. "What is it?"

"Well, I'm like the worst person ever – we've already established that – but I kind of forgot it was Mother's Day tomorrow?" A woman just next to him in the aisle glared at him and Bickslow only took a step away from her. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to be having that conversation right then… Not that he had anywhere else to be doing it, because he obviously couldn't be calling Freed for help when he was at home, because then Lucy would find out he forgot. Bickslow cleared his throat before continuing, despite the fact he was probably being harshly judged by both Freed and the woman next to him (but he deserved it). "But, I mean, in my defence, I've only been a dad for like, three months. And I haven't had to care about Mother's Day for over a decade…"

Freed sighed. He'd guessed that Bickslow hadn't had any idea what he or Evergreen had been hinting at the previous day, but now he knew for sure. Freed wasn't sure who he felt the most sorry for, though – for Bickslow, who was probably feeling guilty, or for Lucy, who was unfortunately stuck with the guy. At least _Laxus_ had remembered without being reminded. "So what is it _exactly_ you'd like my help with, Bickslow?"

"Um. Figuring out what to get her," Bickslow mumbled. "And like, what to do for her. Because I just have no idea where to even begin, honestly…"

"Well, cooking for her is obviously out of the question," Freed began. "I'm going to assume you are still horrendously bad at cooking."

"Okay, I'm not horrendously bad, thank you very much. I'm… _mediocrely_ bad. Ingrid doesn't complain, so there's that."

"She doesn't have the capability to complain."

"She cries when she doesn't like something." She didn't like peaches, as it turned out.

Freed only rolled his eyes. "Fine, you are only _mediocrely_ bad and your daughter is possibly the one person on the planet who likes what you give her," he uttered quickly. Even Bickslow didn't like his own cooking most of the time, but Freed wasn't interested in getting into an argument with the man about his seven-and-a-half-month-old daughter. Ingrid wasn't exactly a good example though, considering what she actually ate, which Freed didn't even classify as food anyway… "But cooking for Lucy is out of the question."

"Yup," Bickslow agreed.

"You could take her out somewhere, perhaps," Freed suggested. "Maybe brunch, or lunch somewhere. There's plenty of places here that don't require a booking. There's always the option of going on a picnic somewhere, too, and you could just take snack foods or something similar."

"Yeah, I don't know… We had a picnic a few weeks ago. I don't really want to do that again just yet."

"Fair enough. Okay, gifts, then. Something personalised to do with Ingrid, maybe?"

"Like what?"

Freed sighed and only thought in silence for a moment. How was _he_ supposed to know what Bickslow could get Lucy? _Last minute_ gifts were not his forte, and Freed figured Bickslow must have forgotten that. "What about… some jewellery?" Freed suggested on a whim. Jewellery was always nice. "Maybe something with Ingrid's birthstone? Or the twins'? When is Lucy due again?"

"Sometime around the end of October if the doc gets her way."

"And Ingrid's birthday is in September, yes?"

"Twenty-first." They'd found a birth certificate when they'd been going through everything before, so they knew exactly how old Ingrid was. It was just a little depressing to Bickslow that she would be a year old in a little over four months, and even more depressing that he'd only had Ingrid for half of her life, too.

At least the twins would be different. He could make up for it with the twins.

"So that would be… sapphire and opal, if memory serves me correct," Freed said. "It would be difficult to find something with both of those stones, I'd imagine, but you could look, if you liked that idea."

"It's not bad, I guess," Bickslow mumbled. There were a few jewellery stores in that complex alone, so he could probably quickly look once he was done grocery shopping. "Got anything else?"

"A nice robe."

"What, like a bath robe?"

"Yes. They're comfortable, are they not? And I can imagine that between Ingrid and her pregnancy, there are days where she doesn't feel all that much like getting dressed properly."

Bickslow scratched at the back of his head as he looked up from the list and stared at the different types of chocolate chip cookies in front of him – he apparently needed to buy _three_ packets of chocolate chip cookies. Again, he really wasn't going to question it. All he knew was that he wasn't allowed to go near her chocolate chip cookies. Ever. "Uh, I think she stayed in bed with Ingrid all day yesterday, actually…" She claimed they'd been napping and watching movies together the entire day Bickslow had been at work.

"See? But I'm afraid I don't really know what else you could possibly get her. Not specifically, at least," Freed said. "I think your best bet is just going to be getting her something that can help her relax, because I'm sure she's rather stressed, or at least she will be once the twins have arrived…"

"You can say that again," Bickslow mumbled.

"But anyway, just treat her to a nice day out or something. Get her things she likes. I don't really know how to help you with this, to be perfectly honest."

"No, no, this is fine. I can work with this," Bickslow replied. Freed had given him ideas, and ideas he could work with. "Thanks for the help though, Freed. Appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all. You must have a busy day ahead of you now, so I'll let you get to it," Freed said. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, see you then. Later, Freed."

He checked the time on his phone before he put it back in his pocket: 10:24 a.m. So at the very least, he had the rest of the morning and maybe a little bit of the afternoon – if he could get away again without making Lucy suspicious of what he was doing – to find something for her. That was surely plenty of time for him to come up with a gift and a plan for the day. He'd come up with more with less time, so Bickslow was fairly confident he could pull something together for Mother's Day.

For now, though, he had finish getting the groceries without questioning just why Lucy was suddenly wanting multiple jars of olives.

* * *

Bickslow was the first to wake up the next morning. Realising that Lucy was still asleep – or at least not wanting to get out of bed yet – he only carefully pulled himself out of bed and grabbed a shirt from the wardrobe before quietly venturing into the hall. He wasn't going to wake Lucy up. Partly because it was her day and she deserved a sleep in, and partly because Bickslow figured she'd be getting up soon on her own anyway. But if she did get up, he was probably just going to drag her back to bed anyway, because breakfast in bed was a necessity and it didn't really count if she wasn't in bed.

He wasn't cooking it himself though. God no. He was buying it instead, because there was nothing like really great tasting, horrible, greasy food from everyone's favourite fast food place. Bickslow was pretty much convinced it was Lucy's favourite food, they ate it so often. It was convenient for Bickslow to get it on his to and from work, so he did most of the time.

He couldn't complain though. It really did taste great, even if it probably was really bad for them (especially Lucy and the babies), and it saved the cooking and cleaning up, too. And it was Mother's Day after all, and Bickslow figured Lucy wouldn't object to sitting up in bed and eating her favourite breakfast food that he was sure her doctor would highly disapprove of.

Oh well. Bickslow really just liked making sure Lucy was happy, and food made her happy.

 _Very_ happy.

So he went and got Ingrid up, took care of her and internally celebrated the fact she hadn't cried _yet_ , then quickly and quietly got his clothes from the bedroom to get himself dressed to leave.

He was only gone for half an hour at most, since the store was only a ten minute drive away and it was still reasonably early for a Sunday morning and the constantly horrible traffic hadn't been so horrible, but by the time he was walking back into their bedroom with food and baby in arms, Lucy was just waking up. _Perfect timing._

She stretched her arms above her head as she looked to the open door at the end of the bed, and she smiled once she saw Bickslow with what she _assumed_ to be breakfast. Breakfast was good. "Good morning," she yawned. "I didn't hear you get up."

"Good. I wanted to let you sleep in for a little bit longer," Bickslow replied, sitting back down on the bed next to her before leaning over to softly press his lips to hers and murmuring, "Happy Mother's Day, though."

Lucy had almost forgotten about it, to be perfectly honest, but then she'd seen it marked at the bottom of the calendar for the month and she'd remembered it. Lucy wasn't that bothered about it as a whole, though. Sure, she'd been looking forward to a nice day where she got to feel appreciated a little bit more, but she wouldn't have been completely heartbroken if Bickslow hadn't known about it, and she hadn't wanted to bring it up, either.

But she was glad that Bickslow had remembered. Really glad. And it made waking up that morning a whole lot nicer. Well… There was still the part where she had two babies pressing on her bladder, and that had really only been making the last week for her more than annoying. But she'd take that over feeling sick any day of the week, too, so Lucy was glad that _that_ was over and she got to leave the horribleness of the first trimester behind her – well, what she was _calling_ the first trimester, anyway. Mother's Day just happened to be the day of the week they just decided to mark weeks on.

But the whole babies-on-bladder thing was really not nice to wake up to. Ever. So Lucy only quietly murmured a thank you against Bickslow's mouth, before pulling back abruptly and kicking the sheets back to get out of bed. "Need to pee though."

Bickslow just rolled his eyes. Then after setting Ingrid down on the middle of the bed, he leant over the side to pull out the gift bag with the presents he'd bought for Lucy from under the bed. He hadn't really known where else to put them without her seeing them, but Bickslow figured under the bed had worked well. When Lucy came back into the room and sat down opposite him on the bed and pulled Ingrid onto her lap, Bickslow only silently handed her the bag with the food in it, just because food came before presents. Always.

She went for the hash brown first, too, of course, then reached for the bright pink bag in the middle and looked into it curiously. "You got me presents _as_ _well_ as breakfast?!" Lucy asked. "Really, I would've been happy with just breakfast."

"I know, but I wanted to get you something. Because, you know, it's _your_ first Mother's Day, and I wanted to do something nice," he said. "But that being said," he continued, pausing to take a bite from the breakfast muffin. "I'm not very good at buying presents for people, so…" Bickslow wasn't going to bring up the fact he'd asked Freed for help, though. Oh no.

"I'm sure that's not true," she insisted, and reached in to pull out the object on top, which was, of course, a light grey robe. Lucy only brought the folded up material to her face to rub it against her cheek. "Oh, it's so fluffy! I'm sure it's really warm too." But it was getting way too warm out for her to wear it any time soon, but that was fine. "I love it, Bicks."

He only shrugged and silently watch her pull out the rest of the things in the bag. Most of them were just small things, like a few candles because he knew how much she loved her vanilla scented candles and her baths, apparently. And a book he thought she'd like, because she had somehow already read half of what was on the shelves in their living room. And then a few disgustingly cute and _motherly_ things that just seemed too appropriate.

And then there was the box that Lucy pulled out last, and Bickslow quickly dusted off his hands on his pants and nodded to it. "Open it." That one was his favourite, even though he was undecided about whether or not he should have bought it at all. He just hadn't been able to help himself with it, though, because he hadn't expected to find something like it at all.

So Lucy opened it, revealing the small diamond-encrusted heart pendant with the two small gemstones in the centre of it – one, sapphire, and a large one just beneath it, an almost pink teardrop opal, Lucy guessed. "A necklace?" she asked, lifting it from the box and placing that aside.

"Yeah, well… I thought it was nice, and I'm impulsive," he mumbled. Lucy only turned so Bickslow could do up the clasp for her. "But, sapphire is September's birthstone, which is when Ingrid was born, and opals are for October, which is when what's-her-face wants you to have the twins, so, I just thought, you know…"

"I think it's very nice," Lucy said softly, and she leant forward over Ingrid just to quickly kiss Bickslow again. "And I love everything else you got me, too, so thank you, Bickslow."

"You're welcome. But uh… Was there anything you wanted to do today?" That was the part Bickslow hadn't figured out. But in his defence, he could never really tell if it was going to be a now rare bad day for her or not, so for all Bickslow knew, she could just want to spend another day in bed. That was more than fine, though. He was completely down with that. Of course, spending the day in bed would be much more comfortable if they had a T.V. in there. _Maybe in the next house…_

Lucy shrugged, and only watched as Bickslow laid back and held Ingrid up above him. "Not sure," she answered. "Maybe we could go for a walk or something later? I feel like getting out. Maybe we could go to that park we all went to when we first got here?"

"Yeah, we can do that. That sounds pretty nice. Anything else?"

"Nope. That's it. I'm more than happy spending the rest of the day here with you two."

"We're honoured, Cosplayer. Really," Bickslow said, then he brought Ingrid back down to brush his nose against her cheek before quickly kissing her – Lucy still couldn't tell who liked it more between the two of them. "You hear that, Ingrid? Mama Cosplayer wants to spend the day with us!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you dork. And stop calling me _Mama Cosplayer_."

"We must be really special, Ingrid. _Mama Cosplayer_ loves us so much that she doesn't even want to take the day off!" he continued, still, of course, ignoring Lucy. Making his daughter laugh was way too good to stop. "But let's be real here. She loves you a _whole_ lot more than she loves me. But that's okay, 'cause we both know you're gonna be saying _my_ name before hers." She was so close already. Bickslow was just waiting for it.

Lucy wasn't even going to respond to that, but if it was one thing she was certain of, it was that Bickslow was a certain kind of special. But that's what made him so adorably precious (and dorky) so she didn't care much. Special was good.

So once breakfast was done and Lucy was all happy (because really, food was great), all that was left was what Bickslow had long ago deemed as belly cuddle time, where Bickslow did, of course, get to use his girlfriend as a pillow. Ingrid seemed to have had the same idea at one point too, but that was before Lucy had picked her up to let her use Bickslow's head as a pillow instead. Sort of. It was just a little odd, with Bickslow laying his head on Lucy's belly, and Ingrid basically sitting on Lucy and leaning over his head. But it was comfortable, so no one was complaining. And Ingrid seemed content there, too, so there was always that.

But once Lucy was tired of arguing with Bickslow about whether Ingrid would be getting sisters (she hoped), brothers (he hoped), or one of each (which could still be a possibility, since her doctor was still certain they were fraternal, but they still had a few more weeks until they could find out), and once she'd finished panicking about how she'd have three children before she was even twenty (in her head, that is, because Lucy still only felt like she was turning nineteen soon and not twenty-three), she decided to change the topic of their conversation once again. She hadn't asked about that particular thing for a few days, and she was permanently curious and somewhat anxious about it, and Lucy thought that there was just no better time than the present to ask about it again.

"So have you found any houses worth showing me?"

"You know, I have actually," Bickslow answered. Since Lucy had basically given him free rein when it came to them moving, Bickslow had been spending almost all of his free time looking through real estate listings and making way too many calls to figure out was actually possible for them to buy, money wise – which as it turns out wasn't really a problem, or at least it wouldn't be, assuming Bickslow could keep his job.

But Bickslow had only really been looking at houses for a little under two weeks, and most of them, he really hadn't liked enough to show Lucy, and Lucy hadn't minded that at all. In the past week and a half, Bickslow had only managed to show Lucy two houses, and both of them, she had hated.

"And how many bedrooms does this one have?" she asked. She had already seen one four-bedroom one (but Bickslow hadn't really liked that one at all apparently), and a _six_ -bedroom one too, so Lucy really couldn't help but wonder again. She still didn't even know why Bickslow was looking at anything with more than four bedrooms to begin with, because the last time she had asked, he'd only shrugged and changed the subject.

"Uh… Five."

"You know we only need four bedrooms, right?"

"Yeah…"

She pulled Ingrid back just so she would stop pulling on Bickslow's hair (honestly, she didn't understand her daughter's obsession with Bickslow's hair), and also just so Bickslow couldn't _hide_ behind the infant. "So why five bedrooms?" she asked, trying not to let how amused she was show.

"I don't know," Bickslow mumbled. It was a lie. He did know. He just wasn't going to tell her why five was just the magic number for how many bedrooms they should have. "Spare room. Guest room. Room for when you get sick of me but can't completely get rid of me."

"If you say so," she hummed. Lucy was sure there was another reason, but she had yet to figure it out. "But tell me about this house."

Bickslow shrugged before he propped himself up next to Lucy instead. "Well, uh, it has five bedrooms, obviously," he began. He found himself getting just a little bit distracted by Ingrid, though, mainly because she decided that he was somehow entertaining and that it was also absolutely necessary that he suddenly get big, sloppy kisses on his cheek from her. Whatever. They were gross, but he didn't complain. Bickslow figured it was own fault that Ingrid was really cuddly anyway, and it made him feel real special, too, considering Ingrid only gave them to him and not Lucy.

"Uh-huh."

"Um, and it has a pool, too," he continued, despite Ingrid's affection. He wasn't ignoring her. He was just letting it happen. "And a really nice yard, so you know, when the kidlings—"

"Kidlings?" Lucy echoed.

"Yes, the kidlings. That's what I'm calling our children now. Kidlings." It sounded cute. Lucy only rolled her eyes at him. "But, you know, when they're older they could like, run around outside and do kid things, and play in the pool when they know how to swim and all."

"That sounds nice."

"It does, right? But it's in a really nice neighbourhood, too, apparently. Like, it's a twenty minute drive into the city from there, or something like that, which isn't too bad I guess, since it's up where the edge of Magnolia used to be. You know, past that cliff?"

Lucy nodded. "I know what you mean." In their world, it had just been one big massive forest, but in that world, the cliff on the edge of town that had always been the best spot to see the _entire_ town was a park, and the forest had been replaced by suburban hell, as Gajeel had named it a few times.

"It's close to a school, too," Bickslow said. "Like, you could walk in the mornings with them or something. I guess they'd probably have to go to the high school in the city, but that's easy enough, I guess. There's busses. And the subway, 'cause there's a station not too far from the house, too…"

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" Lucy asked softly. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she did, either.

He shrugged. "I guess," he admitted. "Is that a bad thing?" Bickslow didn't think it was, but even if it was a bad thing, he just couldn't stop himself from thinking about everything so much. Besides, wasn't it his job to think about the future and things like that anyway? That was the way Bickslow saw it at least.

"Nope. Not at all. I think it's really nice. Because it means you care, and I love that because it shows how _much_ you care about us."

"Which is too much."

"There's no such thing as too much, Bicks," Lucy pointed out. "But anyway. Show me the listing for the house. I want to see it now."

He quickly reached for his phone on the nightstand behind him and opened up the listing he had bookmarked as Lucy snuggled up to his side with Ingrid now lying on his chest. "Right, so, I think it's a really great house, but I mean, I'm probably biased since I think a pool would be pretty fucking awesome…"

* * *

Lucy liked the house enough to actually let Bickslow show her it. It wasn't until roughly three weeks later that they got a chance to, with the realtor mostly busy showing other potential buyers, and Bickslow not really being able to justify taking a morning or an afternoon off from work just to look at a house. But the fact that Lucy even wanted to go and see it in person seemed to excite him to no end, and Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't find it adorable. The man was far too easily excitable, but she liked it. Too much.

The only problem was that they didn't really have all that much time to look at the house that afternoon, since they were on their way to Gray and Juvia's wedding (the one that everyone was sure would be painfully awkward since they were only going through with it to save themselves from being bombarded with a million questions from their friends in that world, asking them why they were suddenly breaking up and calling off their wedding). But since they'd been heading in that direction anyway, with the wedding being at the botanic gardens a little way out of town, they'd figured they could just leave a little earlier, take a slight detour through a particular neighbourhood (it was apparently called _Magnolia Gardens,_ for whatever reason), and arrange to see the house on their way.

It was a nice house, though – even Lucy would agree with Bickslow there. It was like the type of house she saw in her favourite shows that she watched during the day when she had nothing better to do. The ones on the perfect streets, with the bright green tree canopies covering the entire road, giving shade to the few cars parked on either side outside some of the houses. The ones with the perfect lawns and perfect gardens, and the ones where there would always be one kid playing on one driveway, or a dog rolling around on the lawn and getting in the way of someone doing the gardening.

Bickslow had said it was picturesque when they'd been driving there, and Lucy had agreed.

The house was bigger in person, too. On a screen, it didn't look like it was that big, but she'd been proved wrong as she followed Bickslow up the path in the middle of lawn and up the three steps to the covered front door to meet the realtor.

It was only when the realtor had finished giving them her own tour of the house before she disappeared outside to answer a call that Bickslow let his excitement show again, and he was quickly tugging Lucy back into the beige house with the stone columns and façade from the back patio. " _Sooo_ …?"

Lucy shrugged and pulled away to step into the kitchen off to one side of the foyer. The dining area and what the previous occupants had used as a living room were all in the one long room, taking up that side of the house, and as a group of children ran past on the path just outside, Lucy couldn't help but smile. "I don't know…" she murmured, only trailing her finger along the marble counter. The kitchen was basically the same as the one in the apartment – just twice the size. "I like it. A lot. It's a _really_ nice place…"

"But…"

"It's expensive. Like, _really_ expensive…" The big house came with a big price tag. She knew it, and she hadn't expected anything else… But still, it was almost making her nervous.

"So what?" Bickslow responded, leaning on the counter beside her, in front of the sink at the end. "It's called a mortgage. And it's not like we can't afford it, anyway, because we can. That's even _without_ using those savings, or whatever the fuck they are. And it works out being kinda close to what we're paying in rent for the apartment, too. Mortgage is a couple grand more a month, but still…" By that point, they'd already been approved for a loan anyway, and he'd already figured out what they'd be paying if they managed to buy that house (which he really hoped they did, because he loved it so much). The apartment was expensive. That much they'd realised quickly. But still, a house being expensive wasn't so bad, because it was a house and it was a _really_ nice house. And it was the kind of expensive they could manage.

"Okay, but still, what if you lose your job? I mean, you kind of suck at it, no offence."

"None taken."

"Then what, though?" Lucy continued. "We won't be able to afford it then if that happens."

Bickslow only sighed before he stepped forward to duck his head and lightly press his lips to her forehead. "Quit being so negative and worrying about everything," he said softly. "If things don't work out, then we'll make them work, okay? I'm really good at improvising, you know."

And then Bickslow wasn't even giving Lucy a chance to say anything else before he was grabbing her hand and pulling her through the house again, telling her about all of his ideas in an attempt to make her like it even more.

It seemed to work, though. Sort of. Lucy had already been leaning towards what Bickslow wanted to hear as it was, but by the time she'd heard about what Bickslow thought they'd be able to do in each room – including how he thought that she'd be able to turn the bedroom downstairs into her writing cave so she could hide from the horrible kidlings from time to time – she'd made up her mind. Although she remained silent as they made their way back out to the front of the house to meet the realtor again, because she was thinking – or maybe it was more of a case that she was probably trying to find a reason _not_ to try and buy that house than anything else.

But Lucy had already been thinking about it all over the last few weeks as it was. The lease in their apartment was up soon, and they were already putting off getting the agreement sent back in, just because they weren't quite yet sure whether or not they'd be needing to renew it or not. They didn't really want to, because they did want to move – Bickslow especially – and renewing the lease was just going to screw that all up… But they were really running out of time, too.

If they wanted to move and get their own house, they had to do it then. That much, they'd already talked about. The only things they really had going for them right then were that they'd get their loan, and that they'd actually found a house they _both_ liked. That was harder to achieve than it should have been. Time, for one, was really not on their side. But time was the most important right then.

Assuming they didn't get that particular house, because they already knew there were a couple of other people interested in it too, Lucy would be just a little disappointed. But if they missed out on it, the chances of finding another house they _both_ liked that would suit them were slim. And even if they did find a house that they wanted to buy, they still wouldn't have enough time to pack and move and have everything sorted and finalised for when the lease in their apartment would be up.

It just had to be then. If it was that house, they had just enough time, because there was only two months left on their lease, and really, neither wanted to be ticking the box to renew it. Not unless they had to. The fact it was so close as it was and they weren't sure what was going on was really not helping Lucy keep her stress levels to a minimum.

But it was a really nice house, and what Bickslow could see in each room, Lucy could see too. And she wanted all of that. She wanted the lounges piled high with cushions in the living room on either side of the fireplace; she wanted the shelves in the lounge room filled with books; she wanted a ridiculously comfortable bed to lie in all day to watch movies with Ingrid, just because she had nothing else to do; she wanted to paint the walls in what could be Ingrid's room something other than yellow. Hell, she even wanted the pool, just because it wasn't even summer yet and she felt like she was dying. She wanted all of it.

And, well… Lucy really couldn't think of any reasons to _not_ say what Bickslow wanted to hear. Not even the fact that it was a lot of money and it was a really big thing and a huge commitment was deterring her from that.

So when they reached their car that was just parked in the driveway behind the realtor's in the garage, Lucy only shrugged as she stepped up to sit down on the passenger seat – her feet were apparently out to get her, apparently, but Bickslow found it amusing, somehow. "I really do like the house…" she said quietly.

Bickslow was leaning with his arm over the top of the door. " _And_ …?"

She shrugged again. "Maybe we should try and buy it…" Lucy said at last.

"Yeah?"

She nodded and returned the smile he was giving her. "Yeah." It wasn't like they had _that_ much to lose, anyway. Well, sort of. But the least they could do was try and buy the house.

* * *

"I'll be back in a minute," Lucy suddenly announced quietly as she stood from the chair. Though really, Lucy wasn't sure why she'd said anything at all. Bickslow was too busy playing with Gajeel's son, Emery, to pay any attention to _her_ , but that was just what happens when he decides they shouldn't have left Ingrid with Claire for the day: he goes and finds the nearest baby to play with. But it wasn't like Gajeel or Levy minded… They were too tired to care. And the last time Lucy saw Ellis, she'd been with Mira and Laxus had been making a face – whether it had been on purpose or not was debatable.

So only rolling her eyes when Bickslow gave her some kind of half-grunt as a response, too occupied to give her an actual response, Lucy just slid past the rest of the wedding guests at their tables – some she recognised from the guild, though she doubted they were actually the ones _she_ knew, but others were new faces – to head towards the bathrooms in the small building at the back of the area. But as soon as she came out, still drying her hands on a paper towel, she was walking directly into someone right outside the door.

"O-Oh, sorry!" she laughed nervously, going to sidestep the person to be on her way. But then she looked up, just to see that the person she'd run into had been one of Gray's groomsmen. "Oh. Loke!"

Lucy had wondered whether or not her spirits had counterparts in that world. Although after a while, she'd just assumed they wouldn't, because they were spirits and they were first and foremost magical beings, so why would they have counterparts in a world without magic? But then she'd seen Loke earlier in the day, and even Aries too (well, Bickslow had pointed her out during the ceremony, asking if she was the one that had surrounded him in annoying pink wool that one time), and it had kind of made her happy. Her spirits had been as much her family as everyone else had been, and she'd been upset when she'd realised that magic was just a myth in that world. But seeing them, even knowing that they weren't her faithful spirits anymore, had made her smile.

She'd been too scared to go and talk to Loke or Aries though, just in case things were different in that world and they weren't even acquaintances. Now, though, Loke was standing in front of her, whether by coincidence or not, and she could see that something was troubling him. The fact he didn't move to get past her, instead only took a single – though large – step back to put some distance between them only had Lucy thinking that Loke was there right then to actually talk to _her_. _Maybe it's not a coincidence then…_

She wondered what it could possibly be about, too; what could possibly have happened to have the Loke of that world looking so troubled and anxious and need to talk to her?

The former Celestial mage smiled politely up at him after turning to throw the paper towel in the bin. "Is everything okay?" she asked softly.

"Uh…" He swallowed thickly before quickly pointing down to her stomach. "So you're, uh, pregnant," he mumbled.

 _Stating the obvious much?_ Lucy shrugged. "Seems that way," she giggled – Bickslow's humour (or, his tendency to be sarcastic at inappropriate times) had worn off on her slightly.

"And, uh, how far along are you?" Loke asked, still awkward as ever.

"Just about four months." She was a week off what they were calling it, but that didn't mean she looked it, not when Ingrid still wasn't even a year old and it was twins. She looked closer to five-something months right then, not nearly four, and Lucy couldn't help but be a little scared of how big she'd be by the end of October. She wasn't looking forward to it. But at least she could still see her feet. She liked that.

Relief washed over Loke then, and he let out a quiet sigh. "So it's… It's most definitely Bickslow's, right?"

"Of course. Why would you ask that?" she laughed again.

"Because, you know…" He cleared his throat and looked behind him to make sure no one else was in the short corridor before looking back down to Lucy and continued, "That time we… At the New Year's Eve party…"

"…Oh. Right…"

Loke couldn't help but wonder right then if Lucy had actually forgotten about what had happened at the publisher's party, since they'd both had way too much to drink, or if she had just put it to the back of her mind to pretend they'd never slept together. _He_ certainly hadn't forgotten…

But he wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. He hadn't seen her since then – not since right after when she'd seemingly come to her senses about what she'd done, and left the party in a rush. But _then_ , Loke had known her marriage had been crumbling, just like everyone else had known it. But _now_ , it was almost as if they were back to how they'd been two years earlier, right before they'd been married at all. So maybe Lucy had just pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on fixing the problems she'd had with Bickslow.

That would've been for the best anyway, Loke figured.

And if anything, it probably wasn't even wise that he was talking to her at all. But he'd just needed to know, because the last thing Loke had expected to see was Lucy pregnant again. It was the last thing he'd _wanted_ to see, too.

But it wasn't his. _Couldn't_ have been, not if she was just four months like she said. And the one thing that Lucy was not, was a liar.

He only shook his head when he saw how she was just looking to the ground to the side then, hiding how upset she was – maybe being reminded of what she'd done was upsetting her. Loke couldn't blame her for that. It wasn't like _he_ had zero regrets about it, either. He had a few. "Well, I should, uh…" he began awkwardly again, stepping back from her and beginning to turn. "I should get back to Ari then."

"Yeah… Good idea…" Lucy mumbled. She didn't bother looking up until she could no longer hear his footsteps in the tiled hall, and as soon as he was gone, she just turned to sit on the small bench on the opposite wall.

She'd been in such a good mood that day, too, being able to go and see the house and talk about placing an offer on it, and then getting to spend the afternoon in the botanic gardens for the wedding. But now her good day was ruined, because she was hating her other self and _herself_ , and that hurt.

Lucy wondered if how she felt then was how Bickslow had felt when he'd found out about his other self sleeping with the assistant. She almost hoped that it wasn't, just because it sucked. She was miserable right then. All she wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed by herself (well, with Ingrid, too, she supposed, but Ingrid was little and she loved Ingrid so Ingrid didn't count), and most definitely avoid Bickslow. Though how she would avoid Bickslow, Lucy had absolutely no idea. Avoiding someone was difficult when she _lived_ with that someone.

But if she didn't avoid Bickslow, he'd know something was wrong, and he'd be annoying about making her talk about it, and then he'd find out that her other self slept with Loke, and then he'd probably be mad at _her_ like she had been with him, and… she'd be even more miserable. There was just no way to _not_ be miserable, Lucy realised, and she hated that.

She hated that just as much as she hated the fact that her other self had cheated on her husband. It was bad enough the other Bickslow had, but this was so much worse for Lucy. It was different because _she_ was the one feeling guilty over something she hadn't even really done, and that hurt her more than finding out about Bickslow had. Even then, that had partly been because she'd still had what her other self felt there, and it had made her feel like the one she'd been cheated on. But now, this time, it was just her own feelings, yet she was still the one that felt guilty.

Lucy heard more footsteps then from the opposite end of the hall, and she only quickly turned her face away to try and brush away the few tears that had already begun to fall without ruining her makeup. But then they were sitting down on the bench next to her and letting out an all too familiar sigh, and Lucy felt herself freeze. _Had he been listening to that?_

"So… Loke, huh?" Bickslow mumbled.

 _Apparently so._ "U-Um, yeah… I guess." She couldn't lie, not when he already knew.

Well, it stung. Bickslow hadn't meant to hear it, either. He'd been heading for the bathroom, but then he'd heard Loke ask if they were even his children, and it had taken Bickslow all of two seconds to figure out why that was even a question. But he hadn't just been able to walk in there when Lucy had still been talking to Loke. Walking in there would have been a horrible idea, considering the circumstances, because then Loke would know that he knew, and… That would have been painful for everyone, and really, it was already painful enough as it was.

Aside from the fact that Bickslow was now beginning to wonder whether or not the twins were his (he still assumed they were, because he was pretty much convinced their other selves had somehow sorted things out between whenever it had gone wrong in the first place, and Valentine's Day), he wasn't even that mad. It fucking hurt, because he was picturing _his_ Lucy with Loke, but that was it. It was their _other_ selves with the problems, not them. He hadn't cheated on anyone, and neither had Lucy. He didn't really have that much of a reason to be hurt.

And even then, Bickslow didn't feel like he was allowed to be mad or hurt over it, either. It would make him a hypocrite if he was, because as much as he wanted to completely forget about his other self and just move on from everything that had happened and made things more problematic than he'd ever thought possible, he still felt guilty. It wasn't like he wanted to, because he hated feeling horrible over something he hadn't really done. But part of that guilt was still his own, too. He'd still been the one to hurt Lucy, in a way, because she'd been hurt finding out too.

But maybe what was bothering Bickslow the most right then was that Lucy was experiencing that guilt that he'd felt before. He knew she was; she was terrible at hiding it. And he was worried about what it would do to her, considering it was _still_ bothering _him_.

He didn't even know what he was supposed to say right then, though. He didn't exactly want to lie and say that it didn't bother him, and that he wasn't hurt… Because he was. He was just ignoring it as best he could, because he had no real reason to be hurt. He could probably bring up the fact that their other selves had probably been close to getting divorced at some point, hope that it would make Lucy feel better about it, but even that seemed like a bad idea. Bickslow already knew he couldn't make some half-hearted joke about that time he'd asked if she was dating Loke as part of his vague apology for what had happened before the Fantasia parade, either.

And even then, did Lucy _want_ him to say anything? Maybe it was just one of those times where it was better he not say anything at all.

That being said, though… There was just one thing Bickslow wanted to say. And do. Because he was a hypocrite. And he was really fucking mad at Loke, partly because the guy had fucked his sort-of wife, and partly because he'd ruined his good mood. Screw Loke.

So Bickslow only stretched his arms above his head and flexed his hand and his knuckles before him before letting out another sigh. "I've been looking for a reason to punch that asshole for way too long." He'd never really liked Loke when the guild had still been a thing, and after the guy (er, spirit) had sent him _halfway across the damn town_ , he'd liked him even less. That shit had hurt. A lot. And Bickslow considered this payback. Sort of.

If Lucy had any issues with that though, she didn't say anything. Not that Bickslow cared right then anyway, because he really, really wanted to punch Loke in the face right then. He really liked punching people in that world, too, apparently. Mostly Natsu, as it turns out, but still.

Besides, Bickslow was just the type of person to punch someone at a wedding and ruin a relationship in the process. But he figured Loke deserved that.


	34. Chapter 34

Lucy didn't say a word as she sat herself down on the lounge and lifted Bickslow's arm up just so she could curl up against his side. Barely any words at all had been shared between them since they'd left the wedding, and even if Lucy knew why Bickslow wasn't really wanting to talk to her, she still hated it.

 _She_ wanted to talk to him, though. She wanted to know that Bickslow didn't hate her because of something her other self had done. Lucy could deal with hating herself for it, because it was such a horrible thing to do to someone and she just didn't understand how _she_ could have done it, but Lucy couldn't deal with Bickslow hating her, because she really needed him. And part of her hated that she'd come to rely on Bickslow so heavily over the last few months, but there were things Lucy just wouldn't be able to deal with on her own. She needed Bickslow, and she really, _really_ needed him not to hate her.

But as much as Lucy wanted to talk to him, she didn't really know what to say. She _almost_ wanted to just leave it until morning, because it was late and Bickslow had made it as obvious as he possibly could that he needed a bit of space… But Lucy just hadn't been able to sleep. She hadn't been able to shut her mind off to be able to fall asleep.

So Lucy just sat silently once Bickslow had just reluctantly put his arm back down, and she only stared down at the thick book he had open on his knees and paid no attention to the T.V. on just in front of them. It was another one of his law books he was reading, Lucy noticed, and as she read over the words she didn't understand on the page, she had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"What do lawyers wear to work?"

Bickslow's eyes flicked down to her as his brow furrowed. _What kind of question was that?_ And really, just why the hell was Lucy smiling right then? He was a little worried.

But then she whispered, _"Law suits."_

"Oh, dear lord…" Bickslow couldn't help dragging a hand down his face before shaking his head with his face still buried in his palm. A _joke_ was not what Bickslow had been expecting in the slightest, but maybe the worst part was that it was actually pretty funny – just in the worst way, because Lucy told the worst jokes on the entire planet.

"Get it?" Lucy giggled. She couldn't stop herself. It was hilarious to her, and she'd been wanting to tell him it for a while. "'Cause lawyers wear suits and they deal with _lawsuits_. And you're a—"

"Yeah. I got it." And as Bickslow pinched the bridge of his nose, he quietly began to chuckle to himself. Lucy had done the unthinkable. She had made him laugh at one of her horrible jokes again, and probably at the best time too. "That's a really fucking terrible one, Lucy."

"But you're laughing," she pointed out.

"It's just… It's so bad that it's actually good."

"Which makes it the best joke ever."

Bickslow sighed and shook his head. "I suppose you're right." She wasn't, of course, but was Bickslow really going to argue with Lucy – or even come close to upsetting her more than she really was – over a joke? Hell no. He would just let her have that one.

But before the uncomfortable silence could fall again and before Lucy got too _scared_ of bringing up what she really wanted to talk about, she was looking back up from where she had her head by his chest and was whispering, "Do you hate me?"

 _And there it is._ Bickslow only sighed again and closed the book to toss it down the other end of the lounge in front of his feet. "No. Of course I don't hate you," he said softly. "I could never hate you."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He didn't even have a reason to hate Lucy, because she hadn't actually done anything that he could hate her for. She hadn't done a single thing wrong. But… Bickslow knew why she was asking, and he knew that it was kind of his fault that she had even thought he did hate her, because he really had made a point of almost ignoring her since he'd overheard her talking with Loke… But he hadn't really known what else to do. He'd just needed a bit of space; he'd needed to be away from her for just a little while, because for the life of him, Bickslow couldn't stop picturing _his_ Lucy with Loke. "I promise I don't hate you," he said softly, ducking his head to press a light kiss to her forehead.

"But you're still hurt…" Lucy mumbled. "And I'm sorry."

"Hey, why are you sorry? You don't have anything to be sorry for."

She shrugged. "I'm the reason you're upset right now."

"I'm not _upset_." Sure, it fucking stung, but he wasn't upset. Not really, at least.

"Annoyed then."

It was probably closer to what he was actually feeling, but even then, it wasn't Lucy's fault. She hadn't done a single thing wrong, and Bickslow really didn't like that Lucy was blaming herself for how he felt. But then again, he knew it was his own fault she did. "A little, sure," he admitted, but was continuing before Lucy could think the worst, "But it's not your fault. Really."

At the very least, Lucy realised that Bickslow wasn't going to be admitting _out loud_ that she really was the reason he was upset – or hurting or annoyed or whatever the fuck he was or was not feeling. He cared too much about Lucy's own feelings to actually admit that she was the reason behind his pain right then. But still, even if Lucy didn't like that, because it almost felt like Bickslow was _lying_ , she could deal with it. "At least tell me _why_ you're _annoyed_ then," she said. She knew he was, but she didn't really know why. "Please."

Bickslow shook his head. "It's nothing. Don't worry."

"Please."

She wasn't going to drop it, was she? Bickslow figured he probably should've assumed as much, because it was Lucy he was talking to after all. "I just…" He rubbed at his forehead right as he found himself wondering if he was actually telling Lucy about the stupidity that he couldn't get out of his head. But of course he was though. What else was he going to do? "I keep thinking about _you_ and… And Loke. And I know it's stupid, I do. But that's the only thing that hurts. Because I just keep picturing you doing that instead of the other you…"

"…Oh."

"Told you it was nothing," he mumbled. He was just being stupid. He knew that. Because the Lucy _he_ knew and loved hadn't cheated on him, because the Lucy he knew wouldn't do that. Because she loved him back and she wasn't a horrible person…

 _Right?_

That was what Bickslow was telling himself, at least.

But he really didn't want to tell Lucy that he'd found himself doubting Lucy and everything else. It wasn't even something he'd intended to do – hell, it was the last thing he'd wanted to do – but he hadn't been able to help himself.

Still, Lucy didn't think it was nothing. It was something, because it was _almost_ as if Bickslow thought she was the one who had done it, and that wasn't really fair. She was only pushing Bickslow's arm away from her shoulders and shuffling uncomfortably to sit up properly. "No," she said, shaking her head. "It's… It's not nothing."

Bickslow only let out a heavy sigh and tipped his head back into the top of the lounge. _Here we go._ He still figured it was his fault.

"You know I wouldn't actually do that, right?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"I mean it, Bickslow," she continued, because it almost seemed like Bickslow didn't even believe or trust her. " _I_ wouldn't do that to you. _Ever_. Not with Loke and not with anyone."

Bickslow realised he'd brought _that_ upon himself, too. He really had made it sound like he didn't trust her, and he strangely hadn't meant to do that. And now Lucy was probably even more upset than she had been before because him doubting her probably just made her feel even worse about it all.

But he still couldn't help that he was in fact doubting her. He didn't even want to be, but he was, and it was horrible. Bickslow was sure it would eat him alive if he left it alone though. He'd keep thinking about it and he'd keep doubting Lucy and maybe he'd get to a point where he just couldn't trust her – and then everything would be completely fucked. Bickslow didn't want everything to be completely fucked, because he really loved his life and how everything was, and he most definitely did not want to screw things up.

So it was probably wise they kind of deal with the whole affair issue then… Right? Because Bickslow really wanted to trust Lucy. He didn't want to doubt her. Not even a little bit. Ever. About anything at all. So surely it was best that Bickslow only hesitantly glanced back to the blonde sitting beside him from the corner of the eyes just to quietly ask, "You, uh… You promise?"

Lucy smiled softly and gave a small nod. "Promise." She had no reason to cheat on Bickslow. Even if she found herself getting really annoyed with him somewhere down the line, she wouldn't be with someone else if they were still together. And really, Lucy hoped they would be. She didn't care they hadn't been together for very long at all; she was happy. She didn't need to go to anyone else to make herself happy.

And sure, it hurt a little to know that Bickslow really did doubt her enough to make her promise, but she could accept that.

And then Bickslow was only shrugging and getting up from the lounge. "Alright." There wasn't really anything else that needed to be said. He believed her, and he trusted that she wasn't a horrible person like she did with him.

Besides, he didn't exactly want to bring up the fact that he knew their other selves were getting divorced – or at least had been close to doing so. He'll tell her one day, maybe, but for now Bickslow couldn't see how it was important. It wasn't relevant, because it wasn't about _them_. They were different people; they weren't their other selves. Because not everything in that world was the same.

Of course, when Bickslow got up, Lucy found herself completely dumbfounded. "Seriously?"

He glanced back to her as he turned the T.V. off and hovered by the light switch. "What?"

"Is that it?" Surely that _couldn't_ be it. Was Bickslow really just going to go on and forget that it hadn't happened at all?

"I guess so." Bickslow shrugged. "There's no point in getting hung up on it. Besides, I'm a guy. Our feelings aren't complex like yours are. I'm fine."

She arched an eyebrow at him before he turned for the hall. "Bickslow, you are quite possibly the most complex person I know," Lucy smirked. He was just one big ball of mystery and complexities. But he was very cuddly and that was the most important thing. Sort of.

"I am not."

"You are so."

Bickslow only rolled his eyes. "Oh, just be quiet," he mumbled, then was gently pulling Lucy to her feet from the lounge "But I really am fine," he added softly with a kiss to her forehead. "I don't hate you. I'm not mad at you. I'm not hurt – well, maybe just a little 'cause I mean, it's a really horrible mental image and I'm regretting all those times I teased you about having a crush on him and I'm pretty sure this is karma or something. But, that aside, I'm okay. Totally over it."

Her mouth twisted into a tight line as she looked up at him. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Completely." Then he was holding up his pinky figure and giving Lucy her favourite of his smiles and adding, "But, no fucking anyone else, alright? I won't if you won't."

She let out a small laugh and lifted her hand. "No fucking anyone else." Because pinky swears were as important as promises.

* * *

Things got better from there, unsurprisingly, and Bickslow was back to having lots of things to be excited about. He was mostly excited about the house though. They'd had to make a second offer after the weekend, but that had been fine because it only meant they'd ended up getting the house anyway. Of course, they still had a little over a month left before it'd close and they'd be able to actually move in, and it was really just a matter of waiting for the middle of July to come around, but waiting they were fine with, because there were plenty of other things to make them excited.

Like, the twins, for example. Lucy had started being able to feel them towards the end of what they'd deemed week seventeen. Not kicks, which Bickslow found just a little disappointing, because it meant he wouldn't be able to feel them either (which he was super excited for), but… flutters. Tiny little ones that _she_ could most definitely feel, though there had been a few moments where she really hadn't been sure if it was actually the babies moving around a little, or if it was… something else. She'd long since realised pregnancy really wasn't as glamorous as it seemed.

Then there was Ingrid who was getting ridiculously close to crawling, and Bickslow really did love whenever she did something new or got to move on to a new food. There were just so many firsts and it was all so fun to watch! But crawling, was just not happening, it seemed. Not yet. They'd always just watch her when she was playing in front of the lounge, and she'd rock a little once she'd managed to get onto her hands and her knees, and she'd get close to figuring out that moving her arms forward (or backwards, really) and her legs would be able to make her move… But then she'd just sit back down and go back to clapping and playing.

But what came to excite Bickslow the most once things got better and after they put the whole counterpart issue behind them yet again, was that at Lucy's next appointment, they'd get to find out the genders of the babies. That particular appointment, Bickslow had literally been counting down the days until. He just hadn't been able to help himself. He still had a long standing bet with Lucy to win, after all.

So when his favourite day of that week finally came around, Bickslow couldn't contain his excitement, and it was rather difficult to hold an almost nine-month-old who didn't want to be held when Bickslow was squirming just as much as his daughter was in his lap. But Bickslow persevered and behaved as Dr. Delia continued with the ultrasound, and only waited patiently (and hopefully) for the doctor to ask if they would like to know what they were having.

Except Lucy said no when Elise did finally ask, and Bickslow just stared at his girlfriend in complete and utter shock. "What? No! Oh, come on!" he whined. "That's not fair. I wanna know!"

"I know you do," Lucy shrugged. "But… I don't. Not yet, anyway." She'd been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of weeks, too. Bickslow's constant levels of enthusiasm never failed to keep her entertained, and she really did love how excited he was… But Lucy had realised that she didn't really want to know what they were having just yet. It didn't really matter whether they were girls or boys – or even one of each – because they were still her babies and she already adored them to pieces, just like she did with Ingrid, even when Lucy had only really known her daughter for half of her life at that point. But finding out the genders of the twins was not something Lucy wanted to know right then. "You can find out though. Just, you know, don't tell me."

"But that wouldn't be fair," Bickslow pointed out. Plus, he probably wouldn't be able to keep it a secret anyway.

"This happens a lot," Dr. Delia chimed in. "Don't worry. I can write it down and stick it in an envelope for you though and just let Bickslow peek at it first, if you'd like. That way you can just open it and find out whenever you want. You could even wait until the big day, if that was what you wanted."

Lucy shook her head. "I don't think I'd be able to wait that long," she laughed nervously. "But I think writing it down will be good." She turned to look back to the pouting man. "Is that going to be good enough for you?"

"I suppose…" he muttered.

Elise only rolled her eyes after handing Lucy some of the paper towels so she could wipe the gel off, then was rolling her stool back to one of the cabinets to get a small slip of paper and an envelope. She kept the side of the paper she'd written on hidden as she went over to where Bickslow was sitting, and she smiled to Lucy over her shoulder before asking, "So you sure you want to know right now?"

Bickslow nodded quickly. "Yes, damn it. Come on, show me. Please."

"Alright then…" So then she turned the small piece of paper and showed Bickslow what she'd written on it.

 ** _Girl / Boy_**

 ****Bickslow looked up to her with a stupid grin on his face once he'd read the words. "Really?!"

Elise nodded. There was the slim chance she was wrong, just because babies weren't known for being the most cooperative sometimes and Lucy's had been no exception for the most part, but she was confident that she'd read it correctly as usual.

Bickslow was just _beyond_ happy, though. He'd really just wanted the twins to be boys because he didn't want to be stuck with _all_ girls, but he still would've been over the freaking moon if they'd been both girls anyway, but one of each? It was perfect as could be. He got his son, Lucy got another daughter. It was a win for both of them no matter how they looked at it, though they both did simultaneously win and lose their bet together, but that wasn't important.

"That's perfect," he said softly. And when he did say it, Lucy could only wonder just what was written on that tiny slip of paper now sealed in the envelope to make Bickslow say it was perfect, but she could wait to find out.

* * *

Bickslow was stuck staring at the television screen just like Gajeel was beside him as the movie played. He wasn't quite sure what it was he felt as he watched _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ with the former Dragon Slayer and their respective children, but if Bickslow had to guess, he would choose _annoyed_.

With Lucy apparently having decided to go out to lunch with Levy just after her appointment, Bickslow had decided to just irritate Gajeel. He had some things for work he needed to do since he'd taken the day off for Lucy's scan and then he'd only gone in for a few minutes to collect said work, but Bickslow just hadn't been able to find the motivation to actually do his work. He much preferred just playing with Ingrid or watching as many episodes of whatever show he was working his way through that week as he could. But then, he'd just gotten bored, and he'd remembered that Levy was out with Lucy and annoying Gajeel seemed like the best idea.

So that was really how Bickslow had found himself seemingly having a _Harry Potter_ marathon with Gajeel, and of course, their respective children. Except Gajeel's twins who were at that point nearly three months old had really just spent most of the afternoon napping. Ingrid had only slept through part of the second movie after he'd gone back to his own apartment to feed her, but Ingrid was easy enough to keep occupied on his lap.

Still, Bickslow was very much annoyed at the movie series as a whole already. He'd had high hopes when Gajeel had mentioned it, because really, what was there not to love about a kid who discovers a world full of magic? And then there was the whole issue where Bickslow still missed his magic at times…

But the movie really just wasn't what he'd pictured. They had fucking _wands_. Wands! Wands weren't even necessary, but there everyone was, acting like wands were the most important things in the world.

He was almost offended, really, but he couldn't bring himself to stop watching it. It was so bad that it was good, and the horribleness of it still only had Bickslow longing to be able to have his babies and his magic back. Everything would be perfect if he had everything he loved from both Magnolia 1.0 _and_ 2.0, but what he had in Magnolia 2.0 was close enough to perfect that he could live with just that.

When Levy got home at the end of the third movie though, Bickslow was promptly being kicked out and being sent back to his own apartment. It wasn't like he'd actually wanted to watch the fourth movie or anything…

Getting home, though, Bickslow was quickly forgetting about needing to find time to binge watch the rest of the movie series with Gajeel, just because he was realising that getting to cuddle his favourite people on that planet all at the same time was so much better than getting annoyed over a fictional movie. So he was only closing the front door behind him and stepping around the lounge to where Lucy sat with her legs crossed under her, just to silently pass Ingrid over to her so he could kneel down in front of the lounge and rest his head on her belly, almost on her lap. He really had missed doing that all the time, even if it had only been a few days since he'd been allowed, but there wasn't really that much he could do when Lucy complained about being permanently uncomfortable at that point.

Lucy didn't mind it right then, though. She found it amusing, really, so after lifting Ingrid up to let her rest on her shoulder and look around the room as she usually did, Lucy couldn't help but giggle as she looked down to the former Seith mage. "Hello there."

"Hey."

"You good there?"

Bickslow nodded and let out a small sigh. "Very," he answered. He got that it was probably just a little weird since he usually saved the belly cuddles until they were going to bed, but he still hoped it was okay. "You good?"

"I am indeed," Lucy replied. "But is there any particular reason you're using me as a pillow right now?"

"Not really, no. I just really like it." And since he couldn't see their souls with his lack of magic in that world, cuddles were good enough. He just liked being close to them. Was that so bad?

Plus… Lucy was soft and squishy. He just knew better than to actually say that out loud.

"Well, I like it too," she sighed. It was too sweet not to like, especially when she got to cuddle with Ingrid, too. "But hey, before I forget…"

"Hm?"

"It's our anniversary next week. On Monday," Lucy said. At the raised eyebrows Bickslow suddenly gave her from where he sat with his head on her lap, she could only roll her eyes and add, "Not _us_. Our other selves."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. Two years, I think."

"That's uh… cool, I suppose," he mumbled. Bickslow really wasn't sure if he was supposed to care that much or not since it wasn't _their_ two-year anniversary – though part of him almost wished that it really was – and they were supposed to be just getting on with their own life and relationship rather than the other Bickslow and Lucy's, just because moving on was what was best for them. But even then, now that he knew about it, he strangely couldn't help but wonder if their other selves would've even cared about their anniversary themselves considering they'd cheated on each other. He doubted it, to be perfectly honest, but he was trying ridiculously hard not to think about their other selves too much.

Lucy did, of course, notice just how disinterested Bickslow was in the matter, and it surprisingly didn't bother her in the slightest. It wasn't like she liked talking about it either, especially since it had only been a little over a week since the entire wedding fiasco, but there was in fact a reason for her bringing it up at all. She wouldn't be talking about their other selves right then unless she thought it was worth it, and she did.

So she was only trying not to laugh as Ingrid began hugging her neck – she was adorably affectionate and she really did love it – and was looking back down to Bickslow to add, "But um… I ran into Claire in the hall when I got back just before…"

"Yeah…"

"She asked if we still wanted her and Mark to watch Ingrid on Friday and Saturday night."

"Eh? Why would they need to do that?" And sure, it was Lucy's birthday on the Friday (and he had thankfully managed to find the perfect gift, too), but it wasn't like Ingrid would need a babysitter. Lucy had already said she didn't want to go out or do anything in particular, so as far as Bickslow knew they were spending another night in.

"Well, probably because our other selves already made plans to take an anniversary trip," Lucy said slowly, shrugging.

She'd known about an anniversary coming up – she'd figured that out a few weeks earlier – but she hadn't known anything about a weekend trip away until Claire had asked her if she'd still need to watch Ingrid for the days they'd scheduled to be away. Apparently their other selves had asked their neighbours to watch their infant daughter at the beginning of the year, not too long before they'd even found themselves in that strange world, just so they'd have plenty of time to sort out care for Ingrid. But of course, it wasn't really a secret that Lucy getting pregnant again hadn't exactly been planned (well, for all versions of themselves, they figured), so to Claire, asking if she was still required as a babysitter had seemed like a good idea. And it had been close to five months since they'd last talked about it anyway, Lucy guessed, so she knew it hadn't just been Claire wondering if the unexpected babies she was carrying meant their supposed weekend away they'd planned was actually cancelled.

Once Claire had mentioned the trip though, it hadn't taken very long for Lucy to find a copy of their booking for a hotel room in Hargeon saved on her computer. And, well… Lucy thought it would be nice to go.

Bickslow was unsurprisingly a little unsure, but he knew that he didn't know as much as Lucy obviously did. Sitting up just enough to lift his head from his girlfriend's lap, he only watched Lucy move Ingrid to rest on her other shoulder before cautiously repeating, "An anniversary trip?"

Lucy nodded. "Apparently it was booked months ago, like at the beginning of February, I think."

 _That seems to make sense…_ Because Bickslow liked to believe that their other selves had somewhat fixed their relationship – or at least started to – by the time they had found themselves in their places, and the fact that Lucy had ended up being pregnant was a lot to go on. If they'd both been sleeping with other people, and probably within the same timeframe too, Bickslow doubted that they'd been sleeping with each other. But he was suddenly a firm believer in the magic of Valentine's Day (well, sort of), and that his unborn son and daughter were indeed his. He hoped, really.

"But, uh… It's only for two nights, of course," Lucy continued when Bickslow remained uncomfortably silent. "I have the hotel page still open on the laptop if you want to see it. It looks really nice…"

Just her tone alone had Bickslow realising that she wanted to go, so he really couldn't help but reach for the laptop sitting on the other end of the lounge and begin to slowly click through the hotel's webpage. It did look nice from what he could see, but still, that wasn't enough for him. "Hargeon, huh?"

"Yup. And, uh, apparently the beaches in Hargeon are really nice, too. And, you know, it's summer now so going to the beach might be nice…"

It couldn't just be about going to the beach, though. "Why do you even want to go?" he asked, switching tabs to the booking confirmation in Lucy's email.

"Well, I figure it'll be the only opportunity we have to be able to go away for a while since we'll really have our hands full once the twins are here," she explained. "And, you know, considering everything that's happened over the last few months, doesn't just being able to relax for a couple of days without worrying about responsibilities sound really nice?"

A weekend away with just the two of them did sound really nice, even Bickslow had to admit that. Things certainly would be chaotic once the twins were born since Ingrid and the babies will only be a year apart, so even getting away for one night would be close to impossible. For now, though, it was just Ingrid, and a weekend away was something they could actually pull off. Their other selves had obviously thought so too if they'd made the booking _after_ their daughter had been born, so even then, they'd had to have been planning to leave Ingrid with Claire and Mark anyway.

And sure, Bickslow trusted their neighbours across the hall with their daughter a great deal because they'd already watched her for a few nights as it was. He just wasn't quite sure if he wanted to go on a mini-vacation himself yet. He wasn't sure if it was a _brilliant_ idea.

"I suppose that sounds pretty good," he mumbled. "But what about Ingrid? You really okay with leaving her?"

"I mean, I'm not super enthusiastic about it, but it's not like I'll be able to be with her twenty-four hours a day for the rest of my life." Of course, part of Lucy wanted to keep Ingrid with her all the time because she adored her, but she knew she couldn't. Aside from the fact that she knew her daughter would eventually grow up (though not anytime soon, thankfully) and want her space, Lucy just didn't want to be the type of parent to smother her children. Besides, Lucy really was pretty sure she wasn't going to have a single day of peace for a long time once the twins arrived. She just wanted to make the most of an opportunity. "And it's only two nights," she continued. "We'd be back on Sunday night. All of it is already paid for, too."

"So… It'd be Friday and Saturday night in Hargeon?"

"Yup."

"But your birthday is on Friday," Bickslow pointed out.

The blonde rolled her eyes as she pried her daughter's hand from her hair. "And? If we went, I'd be able to spend my birthday in a fancy hotel room."

"And you'd rather do that than spend it with our daughter?"

"Bicks, she's not even nine months old. I don't think Ingrid will mind much," Lucy laughed. "Besides, I'd still have the entire day to cuddle her and tell her just how much I love her. It's not even a two-hour drive to Hargeon, I looked it up. And we can check in at the hotel in the evening. I already looked that up, too."

"Damn, Cosplayer… How long have you even been home?" he muttered. He wanted to be surprised that Lucy had seemingly already covered all the bases, but he wasn't. It was just very like his girlfriend to be prepared for everything.

She shrugged. "Only about half an hour." She'd had a few other things to pick up at the grocery after spending the afternoon with Levy so they'd gone their separate ways a little earlier in the afternoon. "But speaking of, where were you just before anyway?"

"Oh. Just watching movies with Gajeel. Have you heard of Harry Potter?"

"…Uh, no?"

"It's completely stupid. But anyway." He closed the laptop quickly, realising he'd started getting off track already, and swivelled back around on the ground so he was facing Lucy again and lowering his head to her lap. Sighing, he asked, "So you really do wanna go to Hargeon for this weird anniversary trip, huh?"

"Well, it wouldn't be an _anniversary_ trip for _us_ ," Lucy mumbled. "But yeah, I do. We deserve a few days off, don't we? We don't have to go if you don't want to, though, but… It could also be a little romantic, you know, taking a trip together…"

Bickslow was suddenly sold on the idea. He couldn't say no to a romantic weekend without the _kidlings_. Well, sort of. And since they'd have no Ingrid to worry about, Bickslow was sure he'd be able to make Lucy's birthday a little more fun.

He just hoped he'd be able to get off work early on the Friday.


	35. Chapter 35

Friday came around and Bickslow was more than ready to head away for the weekend. He'd been a little hesitant about actually going until he'd started packing the previous afternoon just to save himself some time on the Friday, but as soon as he'd folded the last shirt in his suitcase, Bickslow had only completely come around to Lucy's way of thinking and had seen their weird little 'anniversary' trip as being a really great thing. They had to make the most of Ingrid being their _only_ tiny human running around (or not running, or even crawling it seemed, but whatever) while they still could. Because one tiny human to look after was a whole lot easier than _three_ tiny humans, and with three adorable little _kidlings_ to raise at once, they really would not have the time to take a romantic getaway for even a single hour, let alone a weekend.

So it was finally Friday (even though there hadn't been much of a wait at all to get there since they'd even decided to take the trip), and Bickslow was thankful to have been able to leave work early that day just so he'd have time to get something quick to eat and have a shower before they actually left. Except he seemingly wasn't allowed inside his own apartment before he suddenly heard Lucy frantically calling out from within, "Wait, wait, wait! Don't open the door!"

For a second, Bickslow only wondered if Lucy didn't want him opening the door because she was very much without clothes for some strange reason and she wanted to get some clothes on so he didn't see her naked. But Bickslow was quickly shooting that scenario out of his head because he knew that not even Lucy, in all her pregnant and slightly ditzy (adorably so, though) glory, could forget that her boyfriend had, in fact, seen her naked. So then his next thought was that Lucy just had some kind of surprise planned for him that wasn't quite ready, but even that was a long shot, so Bickslow was just as quickly shooting that one down, too.

"Um… Okay?" He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do as he waited in the hall, but he figured _waiting_ was all he could do anyway, especially since he had no clue what was even going on.

Thankfully though, Bickslow wasn't stuck in the hall wondering what was happening for very long. Barely a minute had passed when he heard the soft click of the white door being pulled open just a smidge and then Lucy's voice. "Okay, you can open the door…" she said. "But slowly. And I mean _slowly_."

 _What the fuck is going on?_ Bickslow only nodded to himself before mumbling, "Alright…" And was then resting his hand on the door handle to begin slowly pushing the door open, of course following his girlfriend's weird instructions.

"Okay, stop!"

Bickslow just stared at the now barely open door in front of him. He could most definitely not fit through that gap. "Um, Cosplayer…" He managed to stick his head through the gap to peer into his perfectly normal (from what he could tell, at least) apartment. He'd only been about to say to the blonde standing just on the other side of the door that he was really wanting to know why he couldn't open it any further, but then he looked down after trying to see what could possibly explain him not being allowed to get into his apartment. And, well… Bickslow knew why once he saw what was at his feet, just right in front of where the door had stopped. "Oh. Hello there."

It was daughter, sitting on the ground and looking up at him with her with her big red eyes that were exactly like his.

He didn't get a chance to ask just why Ingrid was sitting on the floor right in front of the door before she was sitting up again and crawling around the edge of the door and towards him. "Oh shit. She's…?"

"She's crawling!" Lucy stated excitedly. She was almost jumping up and down with how excited she was about their baby finally crawling.

All Bickslow could do was stare down at his eight-and-a-half-month old daughter as she crawled through the open door and past his feet. It was only when she began to get away from him and decided to start exploring the hall that Bickslow was coming out of his daze, and he was quickly turning back around to scoop Ingrid up before she got too far from him. He wasn't too fond of having an escape artist as a daughter just yet.

"Well aren't you a clever girl," Bickslow grinned as he lifted her up and then quickly kissed the top of her head. "We finally figured out how to crawl, huh?" He could understand how Lucy was so excited about it, because he was, too. Walking was just around the corner now that she was crawling, and Bickslow honestly couldn't wait for that to happen. He set his satchel down on the end of the counter once he'd actually made it into the apartment, and turned to Lucy where she'd started picking up Ingrid's toys from her play mat. "Did she really just start doing that today?" he asked.

Lucy nodded, then was smiling sheepishly as she admitted, "I might've actually fallen asleep on the lounge for a little while when I put her down on her mat earlier, then when I woke up, I found her under the desk…" She'd had a mild panic attack when she'd woken up and realised she'd fallen asleep in the first place, but then not seeing her daughter where she'd left her had only given Lucy something close to a heart attack. She distinctly remembered not being able to breath for a few moments – until she heard a few odd noises from the corner of the room which had been Ingrid tugging on computer cords and somehow knocking things off the desk. Honestly, Lucy had no idea how Ingrid had managed to knock a folder from the edge of the desk from _beneath_ the desk, but she didn't really care. Lucy was just glad Ingrid hadn't electrocuted herself from the plug that was under the desk. She definitely wouldn't have forgiven herself if that had happened.

"So you went on a bit of an adventure today," Bickslow laughed again with another light kiss to his daughter's forehead. He hadn't quite expected her to be so adventurous after just learning how to move around herself, but he supposed she was just a quick learner – and that, Bickslow had no doubts about where she'd even gotten it from.

"That she did…" Lucy sighed.

And as much as Bickslow wanted to just play with Ingrid for a little while like he usually did when he got home from work and she wasn't taking a nap, he just didn't have the time to do so that afternoon. They didn't want to get to the hotel in Hargeon too late, and that really just meant leaving as early as possible. Of course, Bickslow still wasn't completely okay with leaving Ingrid with their neighbours for a couple of days, especially since the weekend was when he got to spend the most time with her. But he was reminding himself that it was just _one_ weekend, and honestly, he was really looking forward to their trip.

Ingrid would be plenty fine without him and Lucy for a couple of nights, and Bickslow liked to thing he'd be fine without Ingrid for a couple of nights. He had Lucy to keep him distracted.

"So when did you want to leave?" he asked as he gently put Ingrid down on the rug in front of the sofa.

"I was thinking in maybe an hour or so?"

Bickslow nodded. He looked down the hall and then back to the kitchen behind him. An hour he could work with. All he had to do was take a quick shower, finish packing a bag for the weekend, and have a bite to eat just so he wasn't starving by the time they reached Hargeon. Though, judging by how clean the kitchen was right then, which Bickslow had come to realise wasn't all that common an occurrence in their household, he didn't think Lucy would appreciate him making a mess in it right before they left.

"Well, I'm just going to go take a shower and then finish packing," he stated. "I want to pick up some food on the way to Hargeon though. Is that okay?"

She smiled as she answered, "I was going to suggest the same thing." She really didn't want to have to clean up the kitchen again from Bickslow having a snack, so getting something on the way had just been the logical choice. When Bickslow began heading down the hall finally to go take his shower, already loosening his tie in the process, Lucy went back to cleaning up the last of Ingrid's left out toys from the living room. She was only about to check on Ingrid again just to make sure she hadn't already lost her, when she looked up just in time to see the eight-month-old crawl into the hall.

It seemed Bickslow had acquired a new shadow.

* * *

Lucy had barely walked through the door to their hotel room before Bickslow was telling her to get changed into something for dinner and to meet him in the hotel lobby in fifteen minutes. He hadn't told her anything other than that, and as annoying as Lucy had found the order, she'd mostly been intrigued by it.

She hadn't quite known what to get changed into, so after all but emptying the bags she'd packed onto the king size bed in the middle of their hotel room, she decided on a striped blue and white sundress. All Bickslow had said was dinner, and since he'd only been wearing a shirt with his chino shorts which was just what he'd changed into after work that afternoon, Lucy thought it was safe to assume that a sundress was going to be okay. She liked to think Bickslow would've told her if she needed to change into something specific.

Still, after sitting in the car for two hours, Lucy was just a little glad to have gotten into some fresh clothes. They'd been starting to get a little uncomfortable with the leather seats.

So having freshened up and changed into her light dress, Lucy headed downstairs to the hotel lobby to meet Bickslow. He was waiting for her on one of the lounges, but looked up from his phone just at the right moment and grinned when he saw Lucy heading for him. Lucy couldn't help but return the smile as she decided to finally ask, "So? Where are you taking me?"

Bickslow only shrugged as he stood up. "Just out to dinner," he answered. He slipped his hand into Lucy's as they walked out of the hotel lobby, and grinned down at her before asking, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope. Not at all," she giggled. "Any particular reason for it though?"

"Well, I figure it's about time I take you out on a proper date."

"Aw, Bicks, you don't need to do that," Lucy said softly. Even though she'd really never dated at all before Bickslow, she knew that actual _dates_ weren't something she needed. Most of the time, she had better things to do with her time than go out for dinner or see a movie or anything else with Bickslow. Ingrid came before all of that, and it didn't help at all that Bickslow still had to spend the odd evening at work to catch up on everything. But really, Lucy didn't mind any that. As far as she was concerned though, the best date she could ever have was just their usual Friday night ritual: curling up on the lounge together after putting Ingrid to bed and eating dessert while watching a movie. She didn't need to be taken out to dinner.

"I know I don't, but I want to," he said. "Besides, I needed to do something nice for your birthday. I couldn't just let you order room service, now could I? That's just depressing."

It was at that exact moment that Lucy remembered that it was in fact her birthday, and her face flushed scarlet. "Oh, uh… I guess so…" she mumbled.

Bickslow was quick to catch on to the sudden shift in his girlfriend, and by how she was looking away and trying her best to hide her blush, it didn't take Bickslow very long to figure out what the problem actually was. With the amount of time he'd spent with Lucy over the last few months, he liked to think he knew the woman – or at least, he knew her in permanently sleep derived, pregnancy brained state.

He couldn't help but laugh at what he already knew to be true, and it only made Lucy's cheeks grow more red as she scowled up at him. "You totally forgot it was your birthday today, didn't you?"

"…No," Lucy mumbled. "I didn't forget…"

"Oh, you so did."

She freed her hand from the former Seith mage's just to reach out and shove him gently – although hard enough that he stumbled off the sidewalk and into the garden that lined it for a second. It was bad enough she'd forgotten it at all; she didn't need Bickslow teasing her about it, thank you very much. "Shut up," she grumbled. Besides, it wasn't like Bickslow had remembered it either, right? They'd both been awake since 6 a.m., but he hadn't even wished her a happy birthday! He'd showered, played with Ingrid, had breakfast, and then kissed her on the cheek on his way out the door. Nowhere in his morning routine had he acknowledged her birthday – that much Lucy could actually remember.

And really, Lucy couldn't help but be just a little disappointed that Bickslow was waiting until right then to say anything about her birthday.

Crossing her arms and not doing anything to hide her scowl, Lucy side-eyed the snickering moron and added, "It's not like you remembered, either, and I'm the one that has a valid excuse for forgetting!" Baby brain was a valid excuse. It had to be.

"Hey, I remembered!"

"Well, you didn't say anything…"

Bickslow frowned down at her before moving to wrap his arm around her shoulders and give a gentle squeeze. "Only because I wanted to make tonight special," he apologised. He was suddenly feeling guilty for what he'd done – or _not_ done, it seemed. If he'd known that Lucy would be so upset about him not saying happy birthday to her that morning or even earlier in the day, he really would have.

The reality was that Bickslow had been trying to come up with a plan to make Lucy's birthday worthwhile since the beginning of the month. With how hectic things had been over the last few months, he'd just wanted to make sure she had a good day and do his best to make sure no one could fuck it up in the slightest.

Strangely though, in his attempt to make Lucy's birthday worthwhile, finding something to get her hadn't even been the hardest part. Usually he hated giving gifts to people, but after struggling to find presents for Mother's Day just before, he'd eventually found some things to give to her. Bickslow's personal favourite of the presents he'd found was a framed photo of them dancing together at the gala. He hadn't even known the photographer had taken it until Evergreen had pointed it out to him on the guy's website just a couple of weeks earlier, but with Lucy having taken all of the pictures down in their apartment, Bickslow thought that one with _them_ – not their other selves – would be a nice place to start in terms of replacing them all with their own memories.

As far as actually making Lucy's birthday enjoyable, that was where Bickslow had struggled. It was hard to plan things when there was an infant to look after. It was only after Lucy had brought up their little ' _anniversary'_ trip and they'd decided to go that he'd actually come up with a decent sort of plan for the night. It wasn't going to be anything grand, but he didn't think it needed to be, either.

"I promise I didn't forget your birthday, Cosplayer," he added softly. "And I'm sorry for making you think I did."

"Well, okay then…" She supposed she couldn't really be mad at him for something as insignificant as that. She was the one that had forgotten it, after all, and it was her own birthday. In hindsight though, Lucy was realising that she should've expected Bickslow to do something like that – well, assuming she _hadn't_ forgotten. He was always full of surprises. "I guess I forgive you…"

They returned to walking hand in hand again, and Lucy took the opportunity to find out all she could about what Bickslow had supposedly planned for their first evening in Hargeon. It really wasn't going to be anything fancy; just dinner at a restaurant the hotel concierge had recommended, and then maybe a nice walk along the beach. That was pretty much the extent of what Bickslow had been able to come up with, but Lucy didn't mind that. As long as she got to end the night with cuddling and chocolate brownies, she'd be perfectly fine.

Try as Bickslow might though, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about how Lucy had forgotten her own damn _birthday_. Sure, he got that Lucy would space on trivial things every now and then – like forgetting to unload the dishwasher and wondering how they had no plates left, leaving the T.V. remote in the fridge, and then complaining about the stove taking so long to heat up when she hadn't even turned it on. But a birthday? That wasn't a trivial thing, and he didn't think Lucy forgetting it had anything to do with how she should've been turning nineteen and not twenty-three, either.

As far as Bickslow could tell, that was just full-on baby brain, and as entertaining as the entire concept of it was, he couldn't help but be a little scared. Just what else were those damn twins going to make her do next?

Still, even with that slightly terrifying thought worrying him, Bickslow also couldn't help but begin to quietly laugh to himself once again, only shaking his head in disbelief as they kept walking. Lucy eyed him cautiously for a moment, but she didn't need to ask what her boyfriend was laughing at now before he said, "I still can't believe you actually forgot your own birthday."

She had half the mind to turn around and go back to their hotel room, she was that annoyed at Bickslow for teasing her about it… But she didn't, simply because she hadn't eaten anything since they'd gotten something to eat on the way out of Magnolia, and she was really quite hungry (she was eating for three, after all). So instead, Lucy only scowled before freeing her hand from Bickslow's and then walked on ahead without him – well, until he caught up to her and turned her around when she ended up walking past the very restaurant they were having dinner at.

* * *

"Room service!"

Bickslow looked up to the hotel door when he heard the knock and the woman on the other side of it. He'd only woken up a few minutes earlier as it was so he'd had no idea about them ordering room service, but considering his girlfriend's appetite and penchant for waking up before him, he wasn't that surprised. Still, with the previous night having ended with yet another round of _adult twister_ (well, that was what he was calling sex those days, at least) after their dinner and lovely stroll along the beach, Bickslow wasn't actually wearing any clothes. And as fine as he was with that, as fine as Lucy was with that, he highly doubted that the poor soul who worked for the hotel would be fine with it.

So instead, he only called out to the blonde that was brushing her hair in front of the bathroom mirror, "Cosplayer, your food is here." Lucy was at least _somewhat_ clothed, even if she was only wearing a tank top and her underwear, but that was still a whole lot more acceptable than nothing.

Lucy quickly set her brush down and grabbed the hotel robe from the door to cover herself before rushing back into the main room. "Oh! That was fast!" she said excitedly, and was then opening up their hotel door just as she finished tying her robe to greet the room service attendant.

Bickslow only watched in silent amusement as Lucy began picking at what he assumed to be crepes topped with mixed berries and icing sugar as soon as the silver lid had been lifted from the plate. By the time the attendant was pushing the empty cart out of the room, the round table by the large bed was completely covered in different dishes – crepes, waffles, full English breakfast with toast, fruit salad, orange juice… Bickslow was wondering if Lucy had ordered the whole damn breakfast menu.

"So were you planning on not eating anything else for the rest of the day or something?" he asked.

Lucy scoffed. "Don't be silly. Of course I will," she answered. Scouring the selection of delicious food now in front of her, Lucy explained, "I just couldn't decide what to order off the room service menu, and you were still asleep and I didn't know what you would want, so I just ordered… everything."

"Everything?"

"Well, not _everything_. But everything that sounded good."

"Right…" Bickslow thought it wise not to question it too much more, lest he upset her and make her feel horrible for being constantly hungry. He hated it when she cried. He never really knew what to do when she did. Thankfully, things were improving as far as the random breakdowns went – it had been two weeks since she'd last cried over running out of juice – but still, there was the odd moment when it happened and Bickslow usually had to fight the urge to run far away.

Fixing herself a bowl of fruit salad from the platter, Lucy climbed into the bed and tucked her feet under her. Bickslow was on his phone as he had been since he'd woken up, and Lucy couldn't help but peer over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "So what are you doing?" she asked, picking up a piece of watermelon with the fork and then placing it in her mouth.

"I was sending a message to Claire, wanted to check up on Ingrid…" he mumbled.

"Yeah? And what'd Claire say?"

"…She said she'd block my number if I asked her about Ingrid one more time…"

Lucy giggled when Bickslow began to pout and crossed his arms over his chest, hiding his phone under his arm. She thought it was cute, especially how worried he was about little Ingrid. Granted, Lucy was just as worried as Bickslow was about their daughter, and she'd been just as hesitant to actually let go of her when they'd been dropping her with Claire for the weekend, but she wasn't texting the woman every hour just to check in. "Well, that's what you get for messaging her all day," she laughed, offering the sulking man a piece of fruit on the fork. "Besides, the more time she spends telling you to stop worrying, the less she's watching Ingrid. You didn't think of that, huh?"

He continued to pout and sulk for a few more seconds before he reluctantly admitted that Lucy was right. "I guess that makes sense…" he mumbled as he chewed on the strawberry that Lucy had given him. He couldn't help that he worried, though! Ingrid was pretty much his world, even if it had only been a few months. And as much as Bickslow was already enjoying their weekend vacation, he'd feel more than terrible if something happened to Ingrid while they were gone. It was the very reason he'd been so hesitant to agree to it in the first place.

Still, he probably was going a bit overboard by messaging Claire so much. He trusted her with Ingrid, and it was only a weekend after all. Ingrid would be fine without them for a couple of days. She was a baby; it didn't take much to entertain her, and Bickslow supposed that she was already over how upset she'd been when they'd been dropping her off with Claire.

Sighing, Bickslow dropped his phone onto the bed and pushed the blanket back so he could climb out of bed. "So anyway, what did you want to do today?" he asked over his shoulder while crossing over to the adjoined bathroom to take care of his morning duties. "I was thinking we could go to the beach or something later since it's supposed to be really hot today," he added once he emerged a few moments later, his discarded boxers from the previous night now on. Though when Lucy only sighed wistfully from where she sat on the bed, Bickslow raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "What? You don't want to go to the beach?"

"No, that's not it…" she sighed.

"Then what was that depressing _sigh_ for?"

Lucy shrugged as she picked up a strawberry with her fork and dropped it in her mouth. "I was just hoping you'd come out naked again," she mumbled while eating the piece of fruit.

Bickslow couldn't help but give her an odd look, momentarily forgetting about just what he was going to decide to have for breakfast. "Excuse me?"

"What?" She sat up a little and made herself comfortable again before explaining herself, "You have a cute butt." And it was true – well, that was what Lucy thought. She didn't much like the _front_ of the former Seith mage, at least from the waist down, that is (it was kind of gross and weird-looking, if she had to be honest), but his ass… Lucy had to admit she liked looking at her boyfriend's ass. If anything, the more she saw it, the more she wondered just how the hell guys were allowed to have such nice asses. It shouldn't be legal as far as she was concerned. They were men! They were supposed to have the nice… arms! And chests! And jawlines! They weren't supposed to have cute butts.

It just wasn't fair. Girls just got the… _cellulite_ , and the _stretch marks_ , and _ugh_ , it just _was not fair._

And as Lucy began to visibly sulk while eating her breakfast, Bickslow wasn't sure if he should be creeped out or just flat out amused. He didn't think anyone had ever called his butt _cute_. Hell, he wasn't sure if anyone had _ever_ said anything about his ass at all.

Shaking his head to himself, Bickslow turned his attention back to the food laid out before him. "And people think _I'm_ a perv," he muttered. Granted, he was one, but apparently so was Lucy…

Although really, Bickslow had to admit that he liked the fact that his once innocent-as-a-butterfly girlfriend had been checking him out – well, sort of. But as comfortable as he was naked (he at least had to give his other self credit for staying in shape), eating breakfast naked wasn't particularly appealing to him right then.

That was something they could do in their new house.

* * *

After seeing a movie in the morning, doing a bit of shopping around town (where they bought Ingrid a little swimsuit for the pool in their new house!), and then grabbing lunch, it was the middle of the afternoon by the time they made their way to Hargeon's famous beach. It was the middle of June, so summer had well and truly started by that point, and hundreds were already flocking to the beach every day to cool down. By the time Lucy and Bickslow headed to the shore though, it was just a little quieter, and thankfully, the afternoon sea breeze had kicked in and cooled everything down. Most importantly, it made the beach sand actually bearable to walk on without shoes.

They'd rented a large beach umbrella from the tourist centre just across the street and found a relatively quiet expanse of beach to set down their things. Not even the refreshing sea breeze or the shade offered by the large umbrella were enough to stop Lucy from feeling the blistering summer heat though, and after just five minutes of sitting on her towel, she was tempted to go back to their hotel room to enjoy the wonderful creation that was air conditioning.

With her paper fan not doing much to cool her down, Lucy sighed and began waving her hand a little more vigorously in an attempt to create more of a draft from it. "Bicks… It's too hot here…" she whined.

The former Seith mage rolled his eyes as he continued to lather himself with sunscreen. "It is not," he argued. He picked up his phone to quickly check his weather app and then pointed the screen towards her. "It's not even above thirty-five anymore."

"It's still above thirty!"

"So what? At least it's not forty," Bickslow said. "Besides, the water is literally twenty feet away from us. If you're hot, go for a swim. I am." There was no way in hell he was going to sit in the sun, sweating his ass off like Lucy was. Granted, he knew full well that the reason Lucy wasn't already in the water right then was because she didn't want to take her dress off and be seen in just her swimsuit – which much to _his_ delight was a frilly pink and purple bikini. Regardless, the issue was that Lucy was just rather self-conscious of her stomach, even if it was really quite obvious at that point that she was pregnant and most definitely not experiencing the weirdest case of bloating ever. But since Bickslow had absolutely no idea how to convince Lucy that she still looked hot as hell (well, that was what he thought, at least) and that no one really cared what she looked like or were going to judge her for not wearing a one-piece (he'd scoffed at that earlier and forced the waterworks), he just wasn't going to try and insist on making her do something she was clearly uncomfortable with.

Besides, he knew that Lucy was feeling the heat more than he was, so he figured she'd cave sooner or later and go for a swim. If she was still being stubborn by the time the sun was going down, however… Well, Bickslow decided he might just have to pick her up and dunk her in the water himself.

"I… I don't want to go for a swim!" Lucy insisted stubbornly, but Bickslow only shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

Pouting, Lucy watched as Bickslow picked himself up from the ground, dropped his sunglasses down onto his beach towel, and then began to head towards the water while carefully avoiding stepping on any of the other beach-goers sprawled out on the sand.

He waded out to where the water reached his waist before submersing himself completely and swimming out a little deeper. The water was the perfect temperature, not too cold and not too warm. If he'd had a rubber tube and a fancy cocktail, Bickslow would've been in paradise.

Back on the beach, Lucy continued to scowl and sweat profusely despite the paper fan she waved in front of her face. _Stupid heat. Stupid Bickslow._ How was it fair that he got to go and cool off and she didn't? That was just mean in Lucy's book. She was the one that was doing all the hard work – looking after Ingrid all day, nurturing the twins growing inside her and making sure to do everything she needed to do to give them the best chance of staying healthy and happy… And what did Bickslow do? He goddamn left her on the beach to melt into a puddle of her own sweat on her beach towel, knowing full well that she was too embarrassed to go swimming!

The least he could've done was sit with her on the beach for a little while and just enjoy her company. But nooo, he had to run off to the water as quickly as he could.

Stupid Bickslow.

Thankfully, Lucy had brought a book with her, so she wasn't left bored out of her brain with nothing else to do on the beach. So letting out a little sigh to herself when she caught Bickslow waving and blowing a kiss in her direction before ducking under the water again, Lucy reached for her bag and rummaged around in it until she was pulling out her novel and opening up to the page she'd marked. It was the book Bickslow had gotten her for Mother's Day, and much to his relief, it was one Lucy really was enjoying; it was an adventure fantasy, and by God was Lucy a sucker for those types of books. It was hard not to love books where the protagonist was a badass femme fatale who was great at kicking ass.

Unfortunately for Lucy, she often got so immersed in a good book that she completely zoned out to what was going on around her. She'd often lose track of time and look up from the pages to find that it was dark outside – or even light, depending on the time she'd started. However, it had been a while since Lucy had _allowed_ herself to relax that much and get sucked into a book like that. That was because of Ingrid for the most part. Lucy had always just been too scared to take her eyes off the infant for more than a few moments at a time, lest something bad happen to her. But even when Ingrid had been asleep, and she'd had the apartment to herself with Bickslow at work, she'd always had other things to do around that were more important than just sitting down for a while and relaxing with a good book. If it was one thing Lucy had noticed that was different in that world, it was that there was a _lot_ more housework to be done – although most of that housework was just doing laundry. And, well… She wasn't living by herself anymore. The amount of laundry she needed to do each week had _tripled_.

But now with Lucy finally having some time to actually relax, she hadn't been able to avoid getting sucked into her book. The smothering heat started to bother her a little less, and the rustling of the leaves with the gentle breeze, the crashing waves on the shore and the chatter and screaming of the playing children on the beach all faded out. She was in her own little world for a little while, legs crossed under her on her beach towel, one hand resting on her belly and the other holding the book up in front of her face.

The only problem was that she was so immersed in her fictional paper world that she didn't see Bickslow coming back up towards her, not until he leant over her slightly from beside her and shook his wet hair over her, letting it drip all over her and her book. Naturally, Lucy yelped as the gross seawater dripped onto her (some droplets even landed on her lips, and Bickslow knew all too well how little she liked salty things…), and then slapped the cackling former Seith mage on the leg with her book.

"Bickslow!" Lucy shrieked, leaning out of the way as Bickslow struggled to sit back down while holding his shin. "That was mean!"

"And that hurt!" He rubbed at the red mark that had appeared on the front of his shin and frowned before mumbling, "No wonder Gajeel bitches about being hit with books when he's being a dumbass…"

"Yeah, well… Gajeel probably deserves it most of the time," Lucy said. She'd seen the small woman hit people with books (and she herself had been hit by one a few times) several times, and for the most part, Levy only did it when she had a very good reason to. Most people had learnt to be on their best behaviour around the former Script mage, but sometimes people – namely Gajeel – slipped up, and, well… They got slapped with a book for being a moron.

That was really Levy's only downfall, as far as Lucy was concerned. But she was still one of her best friends and Lucy loved her.

Chuckling, Bickslow agreed with his girlfriend as he left the fading slap mark on his leg alone and reclined back on his towel, propping himself up on his elbows and crossing his ankles. Lucy was already going back to her book after she found her page again, and Bickslow couldn't help but smirk. She was doing such a good job pretending that she secretly wasn't just dying to go cool down. "The water really is quite refreshing, you know," he teased.

Lucy glanced back to him from the corner of her eyes with a twist of her mouth into a firm line. "Is it?" she murmured. "Why don't you get back in it and let me go back to reading in the peace then?"

"Aw, come on, don't be so grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy."

"Yes you are," he chuckled. "The heat really must be getting to you, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, be quiet, you. Stop annoying me." Bickslow was the _other_ reason she'd never been able to get immersed in her books. He was just so goddamn annoying sometimes… Couldn't she just have some peace and quiet for once?

"Excuse you, I'm not annoying you."

"You are so," Lucy argued.

"Yeah? How so?"

Lucy paused, glancing back to him before she finally came up with a response: "By breathing," she said.

Bickslow feigned being hurt with a hand placed on his chest and a look of horror on his face. "Oh, my poor feelings!" he cried dramatically. "How you hurt me, Cosplayer." He only got another eye roll from his girlfriend, but that didn't stop him from sitting up just enough to wrap his arms around her shoulders and her middle and then gently pull her back onto their laid out towels with him. "But that's okay. I still love the hell out of you, even if you're mean to me."

She couldn't help but giggle as she was pulled down, and as soon as she felt her head touch the sand, she squealed and tried her best to squirm away from it and laughed even louder. "Nooo! Now there's sand in my hair!" she cried.

"Baby, it's the beach," Bickslow chuckled. "You're gonna get sand _everywhere_ no matter how hard you try to avoid it."

"Oh, shush."

"Yes, Miss Grumpy-Pants."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him once more, and then just sighed in defeat when Bickslow's arms securely around her shoulders and waist kept her in place. Admittedly, Bickslow was right about the sand thing, but as annoyed as she was at him for… well, for annoying the hell out of her right then, she couldn't help but be weirdly comfortable right then, too. And that was a pretty rare thing those days. She was always either needing to pee ( _again_ ), wanting to just sleep for a week, or wishing her feet or back would stop aching for just a few hours – or all of them at once, most likely. No one had ever told her that being pregnant was really going to suck _that_ much, but then again, it wasn't like their situation was all that normal, either. There hadn't been anyone to actually tell her about the ever-growing list of woes to do with bringing new and tiny humans into the world.

But still, Lucy was weirdly comfortable, so she couldn't really stay mad at Bickslow for much longer. Instead, she only stopped fighting him in his gentle hold and laid her head back on the top of her towel and said, "I'm guessing you're not letting me go now, are you?"

Bickslow's wide grin was infectious as always and had Lucy smirking back as he answered quickly, "Nope." So Lucy decided to just go with it and make the best of her new position for the time being, shifting slightly just so she could drag Bickslow's folded up shirt from behind her to prop it up under her head as a pillow, and then picking her book back up from where she'd dropped it and attempting to find her page again.

Bickslow only watched silently with a smile as Lucy found her place and began to read again. It wasn't comfortable for him in the slightest – his arm around her shoulders was beginning to cramp something horrible – but sometimes he just liked watching her. What could he say, his girlfriend was nice to look at.

It had been a little while since they'd done _that_ , though – just been sitting together on the lounge watching something, or even in bed at the end of the night just talking about their days, with Lucy tucked into his side. And Bickslow was only just realising right then that he'd missed doing that, even if it was just something so simple, but when was simple a bad thing?

Surprising her, Bickslow leant forward and ducked his head slightly to kiss her cheek. Lucy blushed so hard one would think she was sunburnt and she was sure how she looked was part of the reason Bickslow was smiling like an idiot at her when she tilted her head up to him. "What was that for?" she asked shyly.

He only shrugged as he gave his answer: "Felt like it."

Lucy's blush deepened slightly, though a smile played at the corners of her lips. She typically didn't have a reason to complain about Bickslow's kisses – if anything, she loved them, especially when she was sitting on the sofa at home and he came up behind her to kiss her cheek. But right then, however, she felt just a little embarrassed. They were in public, and there were so many people around them that Lucy couldn't help but be worried that someone passing by would think it inappropriate that she was kind of cuddling with her boyfriend on a public beach in the middle of the afternoon.

"O-Oh… Okay then…"

Bickslow chuckled quietly as Lucy went straight back to reading silently. That just wasn't going to do though. Oh no. "Hey," he said softly then, pulling his arm out from under her shoulders just to prop himself up on it on his side. "Look at me."

"Yeah?" Lucy murmured as she tilted her head back up to him. "What?"

"I love you."

The blush returned to her cheeks but a bright smile adorned her lips that time. "I know you do, Bicks," she said softly. That was something she knew all too well, and it was something Lucy didn't think she'd ever get sick of hearing. "I love you, too." She wasn't going to ask Bickslow why he'd decided to tell her that he loved her right then, because as far as Lucy was concerned, it really didn't matter – that, and she had a feeling Bickslow's answer would just be that he _'felt like it'_ anyway.

* * *

If it was one thing Lucy could always stand to do, no matter the temperature outside or how desperately her hair needed to be washed, it was take a nice, warm, and relaxing bubble bath. And come the end of the night, Lucy really couldn't care less that she could still feel the tiny grains of sand in her hair if she ran her fingers through it, because having a bath that she could actually stretch out in and almost completely submerge herself in was a _godsend_. And the fact that she had Bickslow sitting behind her, occasionally rubbing small circles on the side of her belly whenever his hand dipped below the water, really just made it all that much nicer. Of course, it would've been even nicer still if she'd been allowed to make it a _bubble_ bath, but nope, apparently bubbles were a no-go.

Despite their visit to the beach earlier in the day not having started out so great – at least as far as Lucy was concerned, considering it involved sitting on the beach and coming close to actually melting – it had certainly ended on a brighter note. And that wasn't because she had eventually caved and decided to at least get up to her waist wet (although she had kept her dress on over her bathers, of course, much to Bickslow's disappointment).

It had had more to do with how watching Bickslow build a sandcastle with a girl on the beach had only made her that much more certain that there was really no one better in her world that she would rather be doing everything with. Of course, Lucy had seen the look of absolute horror on the girl's parents' faces when the grown man building his own sandcastle just a few feet from their daughter had asked to borrow her small bucket, and Lucy had been just as horrified herself when it had happened… But once the girl's parents had seen that Bickslow was really harmless (thanks to Lucy assuring them, of course, since they hadn't been sitting very far apart), and Bickslow had moved on from building his own sandcastle to teaming up with the girl to make one together, Lucy hadn't been able to help but picture the girl on the beach as Ingrid.

Bickslow might not have ever even held a _baby_ until just a few months earlier, but now, Lucy was convinced that there wasn't anyone who could be a better parent to their kids. She couldn't be gladder that it was Bickslow she'd ended up falling for and having a family with in that strange world, because she really did believe that things wouldn't be half as wonderful as they were right then if it hadn't been Bickslow she was getting to experience it all with. And that was something she was going to stand by.

With how everything had been going though, with the baby ending up being two babies, buying the house, and Bickslow getting into a routine with his work and studying to make sure that he could keep his job, Lucy hadn't been able to help but start thinking about the future – and really, considering she didn't really have that much to do during the day, it was hard for her to stop her mind from wandering to places it shouldn't sometimes. She was an over-thinker by nature as well, but that wasn't important.

What was important, however – at least to Lucy, that is – was that she'd realised for sure that she wanted Bickslow in that future. And not just because he was the father of her children, but because she loved him and he made her happier than she ever thought someone like that could ever do. When she thought about her future, she thought about sharing all of it with Bickslow and actually building their own life together with Ingrid and the twins… And seeing him build that sandcastle on the beach earlier had only helped Lucy realise just how much she wanted all of that.

Still, even though Lucy knew that Bickslow loved her as much as he loved all of their children, she wondered if the future was anything Bickslow had seriously thought about. She didn't think that buying that house counted for much, because more space was more of a necessity than anything, and even then, Bickslow had really only been thinking about their kids when he'd started talking about moving. It had all been about making sure they were in a good neighbourhood, close to a good school and all that. As far as Lucy could tell, Bickslow suggesting they buy a house had nothing to do with him wanting to take that step together in their slightly out-of-order relationship and create a proper _home_ that was theirs and theirs alone.

She wanted to know what Bickslow saw in his future – _their_ future together, if there was even going to be one. Because as short a time they'd been together, Lucy knew that how she felt wasn't going to change anytime soon. And as much as she loved him, and as much as she loved having him around and how _great_ he was with Ingrid, if Bickslow couldn't see himself still loving her as much as he did right then in the future – if he saw things falling apart somewhere, then Lucy didn't really want to wait around to have her heart broken. She'd rather end things there and then just work together to find a way to make sure their children grew up knowing both of their parents. If it was one thing Lucy would never do, it would be take Bickslow's children away from him.

Shifting ever so slightly in the tub then, Lucy tilted her head back onto Bickslow's shoulder to gaze up at him. "Hey Bicks? Can I ask you something?" she whispered. Part of her thought she should wait until they were back home and not still on their little getaway to ask whether or not Bickslow saw her in his future, but it had been gnawing at her all afternoon, slowly eating into the happiness she'd felt all weekend, and she didn't really want to wait.

Bickslow didn't bother opening his eyes as he gave his hum of approval, but he didn't need to have his eyes open to sense Lucy's hesitation before she finally asked her question.

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

That time, he opened his eyes, and he had an eyebrow raised as he looked down to her. "Five years?" Lucy nodded and he let out a sigh as he relaxed even further into the tub and let his arms rest on the sides. Admittedly, it wasn't something he'd thought about in great detail, but he'd done so enough that he had a general idea of how he wanted his life to be. And as the image of that life slowly appeared in his mind and before his eyes, a smile crept onto his lips. "Well…" Bickslow began slowly. "In five years, I see myself coming home to that sexy as hell house at the end of the day, being able to walk in and see the twins annoying the living shit out of each other in the living room or maybe Ingrid being a _great_ big sister and picking on them…"

 _Still no me yet…_ Lucy was trying not to let herself be disappointed yet, just because she knew Bickslow was always full of surprises, and a glance up to his face again had her seeing that something was hiding behind his smirk already. "Uh-huh…"

"And… I can see myself maybe walking into the kitchen to find you getting dinner ready because I'll _still_ be the worst cook in the whole damn world in five years, or… Or maybe I'd find you sitting in a big, comfy chair with a book and a blanket and making the most of all the kids being asleep or just quiet before dinner for a change…"

A smile lit up her face and Lucy had to mentally talk herself out of letting a tear shed from her eye. Sitting in a nice and comfy chair with a book and a blanket, or even getting to cook and have fun in that ridiculously large kitchen (well, compared to the one in the apartment, at least) were things she could see herself doing in five years, and she was so glad that Bickslow saw that, too. Bickslow seeing them still being more than fine in five years gave her the hope that she hadn't known she'd needed, but still, that was more than enough for Lucy. All she'd wanted was to know that Bickslow saw a future with her because he loved her, not because they had children together.

"I think that sounds like a pretty decent five-year plan," she said, tilting her head up just a little bit more to press a gentle kiss to what ended up being the side of his jaw. "But… You do realise Ingrid and the twins will be like six and five by then, right? They're not going to be taking naps at the end of the day… Not unless you want to be the one staying up with them all night since they won't be going to bed when they should," she pointed out then with a slight giggle.

"Uh… Yeah, right… I know that…" he mumbled. Bickslow hadn't really been picturing Ingrid or the twins when he'd said that, though. He'd been picturing another _baby_. Because, well… A big family was something he'd come to really want in the few short months he'd been a dad, and even though babies two and three hadn't even been born yet, he _loved_ the idea of having a fourth with Lucy. The problem was that he'd never shared that with Lucy – and honestly, he hadn't really been planning on doing so, at least not in the foreseeable future or until the twins were a year or so old – and now that he'd come close to inadvertently saying that he wanted another kid, Bickslow wasn't sure he'd be able to lie his way out of it. He didn't think Lucy would buy that he was just as stupid as he let himself appear to be occasionally.

And strangely enough, Lucy didn't. She knew him well enough at that point to know when there was something else he wasn't telling her. "Bicks? You're not telling me something," she said softly. "What is it?"

And when Lucy gave him _that_ face, the one where she looked so sad and worried about him, Bickslow couldn't help but feel like he had no choice but to tell her. _Maybe it's a good thing anyway._ At least if Lucy knew that he wanted more kids in the future, he wouldn't feel quite so bad for wanting them at all. He didn't like keeping secrets from her – that much he'd already realised.

He grimaced as he glanced down to her again, and with another sigh, he decided to just get on with it. "Have you…" He paused to swallow and ease the dryness in his throat. "Have you ever thought about having another baby? You know, after the twins?"

"W-What? No, of course I haven't!" Lucy almost wanted to laugh. She was only halfway into her second trimester for heaven's sake. The thought of having another baby hadn't even crossed her mind for five seconds, not unless she counted the decision she'd made not that long ago where three children was going to _more_ than enough for her and Bickslow to deal with, especially with them all being so close in age. "Have you?"

"Well, yeah…"

"Wait, seriously?"

Bickslow shrugged. "I like the idea of being able to have a big family…" he mumbled. "I'm not even really sure why I do, to be honest. But you asked where I see myself in five years, and in five years, I see _us_ having another baby. Or having had one already, or… Or something."

Lucy was only able to stare at Bickslow in shock for a moment before she turned forward again and sank down into the tub as best she could, fingers lacing together where they rested on the top of her stomach. "Oh… I see…" She'd been wrong about how much Bickslow had thought about the future, that much was obvious to her. Another baby though? That was something Lucy truly hadn't expected Bickslow to even _think_ about, let alone actually _want_. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond to that, because honestly, at that point, the thought of having another baby kind of terrified her.

Still, for some reason, Lucy just couldn't tell Bickslow that she really didn't want to have another child, at least at that point in her life, and she didn't know why. "I… I don't know, Bickslow…" she whispered. "I mean, Ingrid and the twins… That's already more than I ever anticipated having…" Really, Lucy had only though about having one or maybe two children once she'd married and settled down, not _three_ children. But still, things hadn't exactly gone to plan, after all. The life she had then wasn't exactly one she'd chosen, even if she did love every bit of it right then. "Another baby is just… I think that might be a bit _too_ much to handle, even for us… I'm sorry…"

"Hey, there's nothing for you to apologise for, alright?" He leant forward slightly to press a soft kiss to Lucy's cheek and brought his arms back into the tub to wrap them around her, laying his own hands over hers gently. Bickslow had expected Lucy not to want another kid, so he wasn't the least bit surprised that she hadn't exactly liked the idea of having another. He wasn't really upset either, because all it had been was an _idea_ , and one for the future at that. He hadn't gotten his hopes up for having another baby somewhere down the track for that very reason – that, and it was so far away that it would've been stupid for him to just assume they'd get to have another child someday. That just wouldn't have been fair on Lucy. "It was just something I thought about. Don't worry about it, alright? We'll just… We'll just focus on the twins and Ingrid. I'm sorry for bringing it up," he apologised quietly.

Lucy only gave a small nod. When the silence came over them again, just a little more uncomfortable than before, she let her mind drift towards the scene Bickslow had just envisioned for their future.

She really had thought it sounded nice, and she honestly was looking forward to being able to watch Ingrid and the twins grow up and make a proper home for themselves there. But where she pictured Bickslow walking up and down the hall with little Ingrid acting as his shadow as just a little toddler, shew drew a blank on the twins.

She couldn't picture Bickslow sitting up in bed after a long day, cradling them in each arm and fast asleep. She couldn't picture them playing on the floor together, or reaching up to her when they wanted to be picked up and be given cuddles, or even just them both asleep in their cribs on their first night home. She couldn't picture her twins or even imagine what they'd look like doing any of that, and the babies she _did_ picture… They didn't _feel_ like hers.

Lucy knew that it was because she didn't even know what she was having, whether the twins would be boys or girls or even one of each. The almost blank spaces in each scene she'd tried to imagine her babies in were exactly like that because she had nothing to base them on. And realising that, she tried telling herself that it really shouldn't matter what they were, because it was just her imagination after all – and all babies practically looked the same at that age anyway. But then she tried imagining the twins as two girls, two boys, and even one of each. She tried picturing what Bickslow would look like cradling tiny twin girls in his arms at the end of a long day; she tried picturing noisy twin boys playing together on the living room floor; and she tried picturing her newborn son and daughter's faces as they slept in their cribs on their first night home.

…And Lucy succeeded, for the most part. The only problem? They still didn't feel like hers, even in her imagination. It just wasn't the same.

When she let out a sigh of frustration, finally opening her eyes up from how they'd been scrunched up with her face as she'd struggled with her own imagination, Bickslow leant his head forward to peer at his girlfriend's face as best he could. "What's on your mind now, Cosplayer?" he asked then. It was obvious to him that there was something bothering her, even if it was just a little bit or even something trivial (which was most likely, as far as he could tell), and he wanted to know what it was. He only hoped it wasn't to do with what he'd brought up just before…

"The babies," Lucy finally said. "You know what they are. The twins, I mean."

"Yeah… Why?"

Lucy chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she finally twisted around in the tub slightly, just enough so she could easily see Bickslow's face behind her, and then said, "I want to know what I'm— _we're_ having."

An eyebrow arched in response to her confession but he couldn't help but smile slightly. He'd been inwardly wondering just how long it would take for Lucy to crack and want to know what genders the twins were. He'd expected her to last a few weeks though, not just a few days. "I thought you wanted to wait to find out?" he said.

"I did, and… I still do a little bit, but… I want to know now." Her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her, now that she'd let herself start imagining how things would be like with them actually in their lives. And sure, she had wanted to wait, but what was the point anyway? It was already going to be a surprise as it was, because she sure as hell had no idea what the twins were, even though she was the one carrying them.

Besides, if she knew what the twins were, she'd be able to start thinking of ways to decorate their nursery in the new house in a way that wasn't completely gender neutral, and she'd be lying if she said that didn't excite her.

"You sure?" Bickslow asked. Lucy nodded firmly once, and that was all the confirmation he needed that it was something she really did want to know. "Well, my dear Lucy," he began carefully, slowly enough that Lucy would be able to stop him before he actually revealed anything. She remained silent though, only watching him and pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as he wound his arms back around her waist and ever so slightly rubbing his hand up and down the side of her hip. "According to your doctor, Ingrid will be getting a new little sister _and_ a little brother at the end of October."

Lucy's eyes lit up along with her face and happy tears were already pooling in her eyes. "Really?!" She knew Bickslow wouldn't lie about something like that, and in a matter of seconds she was already failing to contain her excitement – although in the tub, she couldn't flail around as much as she'd have liked, nor could she hug her boyfriend as easily as she wished right then as well. Images of Ingrid with her new little siblings played in her mind, and even if Lucy had absolutely no idea what the twins would end up looking like as they were born and grew up, it didn't matter. They still felt like _hers_ and each scene in her head made her even more excited for the day she got to actually hold them.

Although, as happy as Lucy really was, it didn't take long for her to dissolve into a bawling and blubbering mess in the middle of the tub, mumbling about how perfect it was and how happy she was about being able to have a little boy and another little girl soon.

Bickslow could only roll his eyes and sigh at the mess that was the former Celestial mage before he managed to climb out of the tub beneath her and grab towels for both of them, before offering his hands to her to help her out of the tub next. "Alright, come on, baby. Time to go dry off…"

* * *

As the fields that lay just beyond the outskirts of that world's Magnolia slowly became the small industrial area of town with large factories and warehouses lining either side of the dark street, Lucy turned away from the window and to Bickslow sitting in the driver's seat beside her. "How long do you think it will take us to get home?" she asked.

Bickslow stole a glance to the clock on the centre of the dashboard before his attention returned to the road. That part of town didn't have many street lights, and even with the headlights the road was a little difficult to see. "Maybe half an hour?" he guessed. "The traffic shouldn't be too bad in the city at this time, so maybe a bit less even."

They hadn't checked out of the hotel until late that afternoon, but they hadn't gotten on the road until after sunset, having decided to get dinner in Hargeon and do a little more shopping while they were there and had the chance. The drive back to Magnolia wasn't _too_ long thankfully, but with the number of _pee_ breaks Lucy needed, the two hour drive had turned into one closer to three hours.

Claire had already told them that they'd be fine to pick Ingrid up whenever they got home, even if it was late, so they really hadn't been in much rush to get back home – although that was also something Claire had told them to do.

Still, since it was getting quite late, Lucy thought it would be better to message Claire to let them know they were on their way home and almost there, and thirty minutes seemed sufficient enough. "Alright. I'm going to text Claire to let her know we're on our way back," she said.

"Oh. Alright then."

She looked down to search for her phone in the centre console, but something bright caught her eyes and she looked up to see what it was. By that point though, it was already too late, and she barely got a chance to scream _"look out!"_ to warn Bickslow before the headlights she'd seen were so close she couldn't see them past Bickslow's door, and then her whole world was literally turning upside down with a loud crash.


	36. Chapter 36

Lucy winced as the nurse cleaned up the small cut above her right eyebrow. The alcohol solution stung more than the tiny splinters of glass getting pulled out had. But then again, Lucy hadn't really noticed that there'd been glass in there at all until she'd had them taken out by a paramedic in the ambulance.

She didn't remember much of what had happened. Most of it had been a blur. But Lucy clearly remembered the sound that had come from the other car driving right into the side of them. And she remembered the crunching sound that came from the side and then the roof of their car landing heavily on the asphalt, and then the creaking of the metal and the spin of the wheels until they'd stopped with everything else going still.

She didn't remember managing to pull herself out, but she remembered turning to face Bickslow and seeing the open cuts from where the glass had shattered right next to his face, and she remembered how his eyes had been closed and how it had only been the seatbelt and airbag still mostly holding him in place, with the roof on the ground and the wheels facing upwards. She remembered almost _screaming_ at him afterwards, once she'd somehow gotten out of the car through her own broken window, but she just hadn't been able to get him to wake up.

She hadn't even been able to pull him out of the car, though. That much, Lucy remembered. She'd tried so hard, scraping her knees on the broken glass on the ground, but it had been to no avail. Everything had just hurt. Even the paramedics having to almost forcibly drag her away from the car just so they'd been able to get Bickslow out had hurt. But in more ways than one.

Lucy still didn't know who'd called the ambulance. She suspected it to be the woman walking her dogs that she could vaguely remember, but she wasn't sure.

Now though, being in the emergency department for what felt like the fiftieth time that year, all Lucy wanted to do was go and find Bickslow. She simply didn't care about how she was. The last time she'd seen Bickslow was when he'd been put into the second ambulance, right as the doors to her own had been closing. She'd already asked the nurses and doctors attending to her a hundred times to let her go and see him, but each time had been for nothing.

Each time, they'd only told her that she needed to sit tight and wait. She wasn't going anywhere until they got her and her unborn children sorted out first.

The cut on her face was still being tended to when someone finally came to administer the ultrasound everyone had been going on about her getting. The man giving it only tried being as chipper and positive as possible, telling her that they were just going to quickly check on the babies to make sure everything was fine. And for the most part, Lucy just didn't care. So she only rolled up the bottom of her shirt and told the guy to get the hell on with it.

It wasn't lost to Lucy that they probably thought she was being a terrible mother for not caring about them making a point of checking on her babies. She noticed it. And it wasn't as if she didn't care, because she did. She wanted the twins to be as fine as they had been that morning. But at the same time, she wanted Bickslow to be fine just that little bit more. And not knowing a single damn thing about him was just killing her.

So when the technician just asked question after question about the babies – asking if she'd already found out the genders, just in case he ruined anything, and then even if they had any names picked out – Lucy couldn't help but snap at him. "Stop asking me all of that and just tell me whether they're okay or not!" she shouted, and at that moment, Lucy didn't have a care in the world about how she seemed.

And, after an uncomfortable moment, the man squeaked his response, and the nurse went back to finishing up with the cut above her eye. Lucy hadn't needed anyone to try and make her feel better. She hadn't needed anyone to try and make things _seem_ normal. She had just needed someone to tell her straight up whether anything was wrong or not.

Thankfully, everything had been fine. Although having a bruise from the seatbelt, and the twins having slightly higher than usual heartbeats, everything had been fine. And that was all Lucy had wanted to hear.

But even then, with the babies having been checked out and having someone higher up review it and confirm it, and with all of her own minor injuries, mostly just scrapes and cuts, treated to… Lucy still wasn't allowed to go and find Bickslow. Once again, Lucy just got told to sit tight and wait. And that time, she couldn't help but try and curl up on herself, ignoring the aching pain from almost every single joint in her body, and begin to cry.

* * *

She was still crying, curled up on the emergency department hospital bed, when Mark and Claire came in. They'd been listed as extra emergency contacts not long after Ingrid had been born, so with Bickslow being admitted as well, they'd been notified as soon as Lucy had been brought in. Claire hadn't been able to help but worry when Lucy and Bickslow hadn't been there to pick up Ingrid after getting the message from Lucy saying they'd be back soon, but Mark had only told her not to think the worst. _'Maybe they got stuck in a bit of traffic,'_ was what Mark had said, and with that city, Claire hadn't really had much choice to suppose he was right.

But when two hours had passed, and when every call to either of their phones just went straight to voicemail, and when all of her messages to them went unanswered, Claire began to worry again. That was when the phone in her apartment had decided to ring, and she'd been told that the parents of the precious child sleeping peacefully in the old crib in the living room, had been in an accident and that they were both in the hospital.

And so Claire had woken up Ingrid as gently as possible, and then her husband not so gently, and then they'd all gone off to the hospital together to see what help they could be. And when they got there, Claire only rushed over to Lucy's side as quickly as she could. She'd thought of Lucy as the daughter she never had ever since Lucy had moved into that apartment with Bickslow, so seeing Lucy like that at that moment crushed Claire.

"Lucy, sweetheart," Claire said softly, leaning over the edge of the bed to hug the younger woman as best she could – although being as curled up on herself as she presently was (not that Claire understood how she was even capable of doing that, being the size that she was), she only ended up hugging her head more than anything. "Look at you. What's wrong?"

It took Lucy a moment to even register that there was someone even in the room, much less actually hugging her. She only slightly lifted her head, and then seeing the kind face of her neighbour looking back at her with such worry and concern, Lucy couldn't help but cry even more.

Claire sat on the edge of the bed then, just so she could easier wrap her arms around Lucy and let Lucy lay her head on her lap instead. "What's wrong?" Claire asked again softly, smoothing and tucking the loose hair behind Lucy's ear. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Tell me what happened."

"I-I'm… fine," Lucy cried, sniffling as she continued to cry onto the older woman's lap. The fact that her tears were leaving stains on Claire's pants was lost to her, but Claire didn't care anyway.

Claire looked up briefly to Mark still standing by the end of the bed. "Mark, look at her file, will you?" she whispered, then held out her arms for her husband to hand Ingrid to her.

Lucy sat up slightly when she heard the familiar cooing of her daughter, and was then all too taking Ingrid from Claire's hands and then pulling her to her chest. Claire could only watch with a gentle smile as Lucy held Ingrid as close as she possibly could, still sobbing softly, with most of any noise she made being muffled by Ingrid.

"So you're not hurt?" Claire asked again. Lucy shook her head. "What about your babies? Are they okay too?"

"T-They're okay," Lucy whispered.

Claire nodded. _That's good._ "What about Bickslow then?" Claire asked next, and the only answer she really needed from Lucy was the almost strangled sob that came from her as soon as her husband was mentioned. "Lucy, where's Bickslow?"

"I d-don't know…" she whimpered. "They w-won't… They won't l-let me see him… Or… Or t-tell m-me anything about h-him…"

Mark sighed as he set the file back down on the hook. The emergency department was ordinarily his department, and he never liked seeing it run poorly. It was like a well-oiled machine when he was there; everything ran smoothly and everything got done at a reasonable time. But right then, it was clear to Mark that it wasn't running that smoothly. And it happened sometimes, he knew that. Most of the time it was because they didn't have the staff and manpower to deal with everyone and everything.

Still, judging by Lucy's charts, she was fine. Everything anyone had recorded looked fine. There was no reason for her to be in that bed right then, as much as he hated to even say it. From his view of things, she should've been discharged not long after she'd been admitted. Her injuries had been treated, and her children had been looked at. There were people who needed that bed more than Lucy did at that moment, and honestly, Mark had a feeling Lucy would be all too glad to be able to get out of it anyway.

So he was going to try and help her with that.

He walked around to the other side of the bed, just to give a reassuring squeeze to her arm. Whether she even noticed it or not, he didn't know. "How about I go see if I can't get those discharge papers processed a little quicker for you," he said softly. "I'll try and find out a bit about Bickslow for you, too."

Lucy nodded into Ingrid's head, still keeping her daughter held against her as tightly as she could and letting Ingrid rest her head on her shoulder. "T-Thank you," Lucy managed to say. All she wanted was to know how Bickslow was doing, because after the way she'd last seen him, Lucy was just too scared to think that she wouldn't actually see him again.

* * *

Bickslow had woken up again by the time Lucy finally got to go and see him. He'd mostly just been staring up at the ceiling and berating himself the entire time he'd been awake, but when he saw Lucy walk in with Ingrid, he couldn't stop the tears from spilling from his eyes. And, he really almost never cried. He got teary occasionally, mostly because of Ingrid, it seemed. But he'd never been one to actually _cry_. Not as far as he could remember.

But right then, being able to see that at least _Lucy_ was okay, it made him want to fucking bawl his eyes out.

Lucy handed Ingrid back to Claire so she could rush over to Bickslow's side. Everything still ached (and walking through the hospital had been more painful than she'd expected), but Lucy almost didn't notice it. Not when she could finally see Bickslow again, and see that he was actually okay – or at least not _dead_ , which was a huge bonus.

She was already back to crying as well by the time she was leaning down over him and resting her forehead against his, almost on the pillow he had turned his face against. "God, B-Bicks…" Her voice wavered as her own sobs caught in her throat. "I was s-so worried…"

Except there was only one thing he could say right then, and it wasn't that he was okay, or that he was just so glad to see her right then. All Bickslow could say was, "I'm sorry. I'm so… So sorry." And he repeated it almost like a mantra, or like they were the only words he actually knew right then – which wasn't so far from the truth anyway.

They'd told him what had happened when he'd first woken up, not long after he'd arrived at the hospital, he supposed. They'd told him that he'd been driving when another car had run straight into them, and that their car had rolled a few times before finally settling right in the middle of the intersection. And then when he'd asked about Lucy, they'd only told him that she'd been getting looked at somewhere else in the hospital and that they'd let him know when they knew anything.

They'd never told him, though. And Bickslow just hadn't been able to help but think the worst; he'd only thought that it meant something horrible had happened and they just weren't going to tell him anyway.

But regardless of what happened, Bickslow knew it was his fault. All of it was his fault. He'd been the one driving. He'd been the one to not see the other car coming. He'd been the one to put them both in that hospital right then. And, for the most part, Bickslow didn't give a shit about how he'd ended up getting himself hurt – the concussion and the dislocated shoulder were nothing. He only cared about getting Lucy hurt. She'd been put in that situation because of him. If anything happened to Lucy or the twins, Bickslow just wouldn't forgive himself. Not now, and not ever.

And he almost wanted to kick himself for not even asking if the babies were okay. He was almost too _scared_ to ask.

It took Lucy a few moments to even get through to Bickslow then, though. Over and over, he was apologising, and Lucy just didn't know what for. "Hey, hey, Bicks, honey, shhh," Lucy said gently, finally managing to get more than just one word said before Bickslow just tried to shake his head and apologise once more. She leant up slightly just so she could take his face between her hands, her fingers only lightly resting against his cheek so she didn't touch any of the dozens of tiny little cuts on the left side of his face. Bickslow wasn't looking at her then, his eyes closed again, but she could still see the tears sliding out from the corners and rolling down his cheeks slowly. And Lucy hated seeing that. "Bickslow, why are you apologising?" she continued, just as softly. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Bickslow tried shaking his head again. "It was my f-fault. The crash. It was… It was m-me," he said, still sobbing almost silently. "You could've… You could've been h-hurt, and… And the twins… I could've… P-Please tell me they're okay… Please… Please tell me I d-didn't…"

"They're fine. They're perfectly fine, Bickslow," Lucy whispered.

And, she could, in a way, understand why Bickslow would no doubt be beating himself up over something possibly happening to them. Lucy knew that she was lucky with what had happened. She was lucky she'd been able to walk away from the accident with just a few bruises and cuts; she was lucky she'd been able to walk away at all, if anything. But she was lucky that nothing had happened to the babies, either. She knew she could've lost them. She knew she still could, as well. But for the most part, Lucy knew she was fine. She was fine and lucky and she never actually going to forget that.

Still though… Lucy didn't think Bickslow needed to be apologising. Not for anything. None of it had been his fault.

"Bickslow, look at me, please," she said. Bickslow stubbornly shook his head again, and Lucy held his face just a little bit firmer so she could stop him from trying to look away from her. "Please. Bickslow, please. Open your eyes. Look at me." And, reluctantly, Bickslow finally did. The only reason he hadn't wanted to was because then he'd have to see how much Lucy had been crying, and he hated having to see that. But as soon as his eyes were open and he was looking at her, with her own face just hovering right above his own, she smiled softly at him and whispered, "Stop saying you're sorry. You don't have anything to be sorry for. I mean that, okay?"

"B-But…"

"No. No buts. It wasn't your fault, Bicks. It was an _accident_. Everyone is fine. You did nothing wrong."

Bickslow didn't agree with that, though. Accident or not, it was still his fault. He'd been driving. He had to be responsible for what had happened, because no one else could be. He was the only one to blame, which meant he'd done _everything_ wrong.

And no matter how relieved he was to know that the babies were fine, and that Lucy was fine, he still couldn't forget that it was his fault. He'd put them all there. He'd put them all in a situation that they were lucky to have gotten out of at all. Bickslow almost didn't know how Lucy could stand to _look_ at him right then. He knew she wouldn't be if anything had happened to the twins, though. He knew that.

But Bickslow knew better than to try and argue with Lucy right then. It would probably get him nowhere, and for the most part, he just didn't have the energy to. He felt sick to his stomach and almost every single part of him was hurting at least a little bit. He was struggling to keep his eyes open as it was.

So all Bickslow could do was nod, not saying another word before he managed to free his face from Lucy's hands and turn it in the opposite direction, letting his still slowly falling tears stain that side of the uncomfortable pillow instead.

* * *

Bickslow had to stay at the hospital overnight, and it was only after the doctor did his afternoon rounds that he was allowed to go home. For the most part, his injuries hadn't been severe enough to warrant him being admitted to the general ward – not the concussion, the dislocated shoulder, and definitely not any of the cuts and scrapes that would heal quickly on their own. But the bleeding had been a concern, mostly because they hadn't been sure whether it would heal on its own or if it would need surgery to fix it.

It had healed on its own, thankfully. That was what the doctors had presumed to happen anyway, since it wasn't that uncommon for internal bleeding to occur after an accident like that. And given the red, almost black bruise that covered Bickslow's side and his arm from his ribs and halfway down his thigh, no one had been surprised that he'd had bleeding at all.

Lucy had wanted to stay when Bickslow had had to spend the night in the hospital, but he'd managed to send her home not long after Claire and Mark had taken Ingrid back to their apartment. Lucy hadn't slept much that night, not even with the apartment being quiet with Ingrid spending another night across the hall. She'd been tired, but apparently not tired enough to be able to sleep through the silence and in an empty bed.

When Bickslow got released after just one night in hospital, Lucy had thought that things would be fine afterwards. They'd be able to just put the accident behind them and just get back on with their lives like they'd been doing beforehand. She'd thought that Bickslow would cheer up a little bit being that he wasn't stuck in a hospital bed.

But Lucy had been wrong.

As soon as Bickslow had gotten home, he'd gone straight to bed. And for the first couple of days, Lucy had just told herself that it was still fine. She'd told herself that Bickslow was just hurting still and he just wanted to rest. But then a few days of turned into a week, and a week turned into almost two, and Lucy couldn't help but worry that she'd lost him.

He'd barely spoken to her the entire time. The only time he did, it was to either say that he wasn't hungry whenever she went and told him food was ready, or that he was just tired and he'd get up later. He mostly ignored Ingrid, too. And Lucy had been able to understand that he couldn't very well pick her up, not with his arm in a sling to keep his shoulder from moving much, but that hadn't been an excuse for him to forget about his own daughter. Every time she'd had Ingrid playing on the floor, which mostly consisted of crawling around the apartment and following her around (or getting into things she shouldn't), and Bickslow had been out in the living room watching something for a change, Ingrid had always gone straight to him. She'd crawl up straight to him and she'd paw at his leg or his pants or even at the couch to try and pull herself up. But Bickslow had just ignored it every time. And Lucy could mostly deal with Bickslow ignoring her, but she couldn't deal with Bickslow ignoring Ingrid.

He'd even missed Father's Day, he'd been spending that much time in his own head with his self-destructive thoughts.

But… She just hadn't known what to do. She'd tried so hard to get through to Bickslow over the nearly two weeks where all he'd done is sulk and wallow about in his own misery, but it had just achieved nothing. It had almost been as if he'd stopped hearing her.

Still, it hadn't taken Lucy very long to figure out why Bickslow had been the way he had. She'd known that he was still beating himself up over what had happened from the moment he'd walked in the door after she'd gone with Laxus to pick him up from the hospital. Bickslow was just the type of person to never forgive himself – not easily, at least – and Lucy had always known that. He still wasn't completely fine with what had happened during the Fantasia Festival; he still wasn't okay with indirectly been the one to hurt her because of what their other selves had done to each other; and he definitely wasn't okay with having been the one to put her and their unborn children at risk.

He still blamed himself for it. Lucy knew that.

But, she still hated it. She'd hated hearing him apologise in the hospital, and she hated seeing what it was still doing to him even more.

She didn't want Bickslow to blame himself for it. She didn't want him to be miserable because of it. She just wanted him back. She wanted him back so Ingrid could have her father again. She wanted him back so they could just focus on cleaning up the apartment and getting ready to move in just a couple more weeks.

She wanted him back because she _missed_ him. The Bickslow sulking in bed, not doing anything with his time, was not the Bickslow she was in love with.

So, after spending so much time just giving him space, and then even more time trying to get through to him with anything at all, Lucy did the only thing she could think of. She walked into their bedroom, opened up the curtains to let some goddamn light into the room, and then sat down on the edge of the bed, right next to where Bickslow was lying propped up with all of the pillows.

"Bickslow," Lucy said softly. She took note of the man shifting uncomfortably and making a point of turning his face away. He couldn't very well roll away, not unless he hurt himself in the process. But even with Bickslow making it obvious he wasn't wanting to hear whatever it was Lucy had to say right then, she went ahead and said it anyway. "I'm sick of this. I really am."

And that was putting it mildly, but it was still the truth.

She was sick of Bickslow moping and sulking and being downright miserable.

"I know you're still in pain," she continued, only when Bickslow did her the honour of glancing in her direction. "And I know the doctor said for you to get your rest. But you have done nothing but sit here in this bed, wallowing in your own misery, for the last week and a half, and I'm sick of it."

"…I'm not _wallowing_ ," Bickslow mumbled.

"Yes, you are," Lucy insisted. "And I get why you're doing it. I do."

He doubted it. "Do you?" he asked, almost mockingly. Because she hadn't said anything to him about it since he'd come home from the hospital. Lucy just had no idea, as far as Bickslow was concerned.

"Because you're still hating yourself for what happened."

 _So maybe she does know._ Bickslow could only shift uncomfortably on the bed again, making a point of looking back towards the window and away from Lucy. Even if she knew, it didn't mean she understood it. How could she understand it? It had been him. All of it had been him.

"It was an accident, Bickslow," Lucy said softly then. She reached out just to gently lay a hand on the shoulder she knew _wasn't_ dislocated and still healing. "You don't have a reason to hate yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled.

"What doesn't matter?"

He sighed through his nose before he gave his answer. "That it was an accident." He didn't really want to talk about it. He really did want to just wallow in his own misery, because that was all there was to do. "It doesn't matter. I still did it," he mumbled again.

"But you _didn't_ do it," Lucy said.

"I was driving."

"Yes… But it wasn't your fault." Bickslow wasn't to blame for what had happened, at least that was the way Lucy saw things. They'd learnt later on that the other driver had been drunk. He'd been four times over the limit and he simply shouldn't have been driving. And that wasn't Bickslow's fault. It had been an accident. All of it. And it had been horrible, and they each seemed to have their scars to show for it, but it had still been an accident and that was final. Lucy just wanted Bickslow to finally see that. "You're not to blame for it, Bickslow," she whispered. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He shook his head at her. "But I _am_ for blame for it," he insisted. "I was the one who was driving. I was the one who put us there on that road. That means it's my fault."

Lucy had to refrain from groaning into her hands. It was almost like talking to a brick wall. "Stop thinking that it's your fault. _Please_." She was just about pleading for Bickslow to finally stop thinking he was to blame. "I hate this, Bicks. I hate _seeing_ you like this," Lucy whispered. "I hate seeing you ignore Ingrid, too. Do you even know you're doing that? She's our daughter, Bickslow. You don't just get to ignore your responsibilities because you don't feel like getting out of bed." And she knew she was being harsh, but with what Bickslow was doing, everyone was suffering.

"Of course I know I'm doing it!" he snapped. He almost regretted the words as soon as they'd come out of his mouth. Especially when Lucy sat back suddenly, her hand falling from his shoulder and her eyes widening slightly in surprise. Bickslow knew what he'd been doing, though. He'd known it the entire time. But he still couldn't look at Lucy when he quietly admitted, "How do you expect me to even look at her when every time I do, I just keep thinking about what would've happened if she'd been in the car with us?"

Every time he saw her, or heard or, or just thought about her, that was what Bickslow imagined. He imagined how things would've happened if Ingrid had been in the car with them. Lucy had been lucky to get out of it as unscathed as she had – and Bickslow was going to thankful for that until the day he died – but he knew that Ingrid wouldn't have. Ingrid wouldn't have made it out of that crash, and that fucking _terrified_ him.

Lucy hadn't expected Bickslow to say that, though. She'd never expected anything close to that, to be honest. But… It made sense. "But she wasn't with us," she reminded him softly. "She was here, and she was safe."

"But what if she hadn't been?" Bickslow asked.

"That doesn't matter, because the point is that she _wasn't_ with us." Lucy wasn't interested in thinking about what could've happened had their daughter been in the car with them. It wasn't a train of thought she wanted to go down. "Stop focusing on what _didn't_ or _could've_ happened. You're just hurting yourself even more."

"I _could've_ gotten you killed," he said then, almost bitterly. Bickslow wasn't going to disagree and say that he wasn't hurting himself by thinking about all of it, because he knew he was. He just couldn't stop himself.

"But you didn't."

"You could've lost the twins."

"But I _didn't_."

"Yet." He wasn't completely oblivious to what had been going on in the apartment while he'd been sulking. Bickslow had heard Lucy on the phone to Dr. Delia during the week. He'd heard her talking to Levy and everyone else when they'd come over at some point, too. Even if the babies had been fine when they'd checked at the hospital, and even if they were fine now, Bickslow knew that there was still the chance Lucy could lose them. And it was all because of what he'd done.

But, even if Lucy knew all of that herself, she wasn't letting herself get caught up on it. She'd been down that road before, where all she'd thought was the worst, and she'd refused to let herself be happy or even enjoy what she was doing. Lucy wasn't going to do all of that again. She was choosing to be optimistic about things, and she liked to think that she had pretty good reasons to be.

So with a roll of her eyes, Lucy only reached for Bickslow's hand to pull it towards her belly. He grimaced, mostly from the sudden movement jarring his other shoulder, and she quickly apologised – hurting him hadn't been her intention.

Bickslow only sighed and tried pulling his hand away from where Lucy had placed it just on the side of her rounded tummy. "Lucy, don't, ple—"

"Just wait, okay?" she interrupted him. Lucy wasn't sure how else to get Bickslow to stop worrying about the babies. For the most part, she doubted that Bickslow would ever stop worrying about them. But she wasn't going to let him keep worrying about her losing them. Especially not when he was going to be constantly feeling guilty for it, too.

But, when Bickslow realised that Lucy wasn't letting go of his hand anytime soon, he only sighed and resigned to going along with whatever it was Lucy was making him do. But after a few moments of Lucy just sitting there, mostly holding his hand still against her, and with him propping himself up on his elbow and the pillows, Bickslow couldn't help but finally ask what Lucy was trying to achieve. "Seriously, this is—" But then he cut himself short that time. And his brow furrowed as he stared directly to where his palm was against the side of Lucy's belly, right to where he was sure he'd felt a tiny bit of pressure against his palm. "Was that…?"

Lucy's face lit up when she realised Bickslow had felt it, and she nodded as she dragged Bickslow's hand to the side slightly, closer to the front and then a little lower. "They've been doing that all week," she said softly. Of course, she knew that it was just one of the babies doing all of the moving (and kicking), but she'd still been feeling it almost constantly. The occasional flutter had been nice beforehand, but as the weeks had gone on, Lucy had become more and more sure that what she'd been feeling was actually the babies moving.

And, she had been just a little unsure of whether or not Bickslow would be able to feel it (although more than once, she'd been able to feel them from the outside when she'd been laying her own hands against her belly). But she knew that he could, and if that didn't convince him that the babies were well and truly kicking (literally), then she didn't know what would.

Bickslow was almost in awe though. He'd been waiting for that moment for so long. It had mostly slipped to the very back of his mind with everything with the crash, but he'd felt it. He'd felt his babies move.

And even if it was just a glimmer of it, Lucy saw that Bickslow was happy. She swore she saw the tiniest of hints of a smile, too. But that glimmer gave Lucy hope – hope that she was finally getting through to him.

"They're okay, Bickslow," she whispered. "All of our children are okay. And so am I."

Admittedly, Bickslow was more inclined to actually believe Lucy that time. But for the most part, it didn't change anything. As glad as he was that they'd all managed to walk away from what had happened, he still couldn't stop thinking about what _could_ have happened. Even if they had been lucky, Bickslow couldn't just forget that he was still to blame. He'd been the one driving, which made him responsible – at least to an extent. He couldn't just move on from the fact that he'd been the one to put them all in that situation, one where there'd been a chance of no one actually walking away from it.

Bickslow couldn't forget about that.

Even after Lucy had let go of Bickslow's hand, he didn't move it from where it lay flat against her stomach. She wasn't sure what was going through Bickslow's mind at that moment, but more than anything, she hoped it was something positive. Lucy didn't want Bickslow to keep hating himself for what had happened. She could see why he was, but she still didn't think it was necessary. All of it had been an accident, and until the day she died, Lucy was never going to blame Bickslow for what had happened.

Lucy just hoped that someday, Bickslow would reach that point, too.

"I have an appointment with Dr. Delia on Friday," Lucy began softly then. Bickslow finally managed to look up from his hand and finally to Lucy's face. "I think it would be good if you came with me." At least then he could hear from her doctor herself about whether the babies truly were fine or not.

Bickslow only nodded, slowly bringing his hand back to his side as he made himself comfortable against the pillows again.

Lucy had been about to get up and go back to packing up the books in the living room when she turned back to Bickslow and stopped. Thankfully, the guy had managed to shower at least every second day between his busy schedule of sulking and wallowing in his own misery, but he hadn't _shaved_. And, while Lucy was moderately pleased that all he had after a week and a half was stubble and nothing more, she still didn't like it. It just… didn't suit him. It had to go.

He was so much cuter with a baby face.

So, Lucy leant down quickly, just so she could press a quick kiss to his lips and pat the side of his cheek when she sat back up. He was looking at her with a confused look up until she finally said with a hint of a smile, "Seriously though, for the love of god, please go find a razor and shave that ridiculousness off."

Bickslow could only roll his eyes, grumbling, " _Fine_ ," under his breath as he began to finally pull himself out of bed.

* * *

Bickslow managed to cheer up a little after the appointment with Lucy's doctor. He still felt responsible for what had happened, but he at least stopped worrying about what could've happened, at least for the most part. He was still quiet for a little while, and he still didn't really do much other than sit up in bed or watch T.V. in the living room, but he at least made time for Ingrid again, and that was what Lucy had wanted the most.

He hadn't been able to help much as far as packing up everything in the apartment went, though. He stopped wearing the sling after three weeks, but he still hadn't been able to move it much without hurting himself. The best he'd been able to do was pack up the folded clothes, putting them all in suitcases or boxes when they ran out of the former. The rest of it, like the books, and everything in the spare room, and all of the kitchen utensils, Lucy had done. She'd mostly done it herself, but she'd had help from her team when they'd stopped by on the weekends or in the evenings.

When the actual moving came though, Bickslow really had nothing to do. He couldn't lift anything, and he couldn't really hold Ingrid, either. So when all of their friends had come bright and early one Saturday morning, ready to help move some of their furniture out through the tiny door and into the tiny elevator, all Bickslow had had to do was look after the Happy, because Natsu was still, for the most part, taking the cat everywhere.

Unfortunately for Bickslow, the cat-sitting hadn't lasted long, since he realised that he had some kind of cat allergy in that world. So when that had happened, he'd merely stood by and watched his friends literally do all of the heavy lifting.

Then, after just a few more days with the help of some professional movers, they'd managed to get everything into the new house, and all that had been left in the apartment was what had already come with it. For their first night in the house, all they'd done was sit in the living room just by the kitchen and dining room, and eat pizza in front of the fire. The fact it had been the middle of summer at that point had been irrelevant. It had been the first time in a little over a month that Bickslow hadn't cared about the crash, either. All that had mattered to him that night was getting to spend time with his daughter, his girlfriend, and being able to feel the twins kicking – which they had been. A lot.

Moving seemed to be a good thing for Bickslow, too. He'd been able to devote his time to helping Lucy make everything perfect. They painted the room they were planning on moving Ingrid into, and they painted the nursery for the twins, too. They even went furniture shopping, since the first floor of the house alone was bigger than their apartment had been. They spent their time making the house as perfect as it could be, between buying comfortable lounges to put in the lounge room, to buying shelves to fit their _hundreds_ of books on. They even bought a piano to sit in the wide entryway, right below the stairs. Although admittedly, the piano had mostly been an impulse buy.

But by the time Bickslow was back to work for the first week of August, the house was pretty much complete. There were just a few boxes left in the mostly empty garage, but everything else had been unpacked and given a home. And for the first time, Lucy truly felt like she was at home. Because she'd made it her home. There were no more memories or reminders of their other selves there. It was just them, and that was what they'd wanted.

It was a Thursday when Bickslow came home one evening with a more than guilty grin plastered on his face. Lucy had been in the middle of getting dinner organised when he'd walked in, and considering he'd had his first visit with the counsellor that afternoon, Lucy really wasn't sure what had Bickslow in such a good mood.

But before Lucy could even ask what Bickslow was so happy (and guilty) about, he gently placed the large cardboard box he'd been carrying on the end of their large dining table, opening it up, and then pulled out what was essentially a ball of black and white fur.

"I got us a puppy!"

Lucy stared at the man hugging the eight-week-old border collie puppy with a deadpan expression. Of all the things for Bickslow to come home with, a puppy was not what Lucy had been expecting. She dusted her hands off on the tea-towel and then folded her arms. "And, um, _why_ exactly… did you get a puppy?" she asked.

Bickslow shrugged a shoulder. "Because she was just too cute to resist!" he said, laughing when the puppy licked his face. "That, and, well… My counsellor was going on about therapy dogs today, and… Well…"

"So you thought you'd get your own."

That was essentially what it was. Well, sort of. Bickslow knew he didn't need a therapy dog. _Freya_ was just a pet. But if it hadn't been for his counsellor bringing up therapy dogs that afternoon, then he wouldn't have been thinking of dogs at all.

He'd only been visiting the counsellor at all because Lucy had suggested it one night when they'd been packing up things in the apartment. She'd said that it might be worth him going a few times just so he could talk about what had happened, and maybe try and sort out all of the guilt that he was still dealing with. Laxus and his team had told him that it would be a good idea as well, right after Lucy had talked to them about it, so Bickslow had promised to at least give it a go. Although after one session, Bickslow had to admit that just talking about it to someone else who wasn't there to prove him wrong or discredit how he was feeling had actually be nice. And it wasn't as if Lucy tried to discredit his feelings, but she still had her own view of things.

But the puppy? For the most part, that had been yet another impulse purchase. And when he'd seen her wagging her little tail in the shop window, Bickslow just hadn't been able to resist. His taxi driver hadn't been too fond of having a puppy in his car, but oh well.

Lucy could only shake her head. Honestly, she didn't even know what she was supposed to say to that. She definitely hadn't wanted any pets, especially not while she was nearly twenty-seven weeks pregnant and had a ten-month-old baby who was just learning how to walk around the edges of things if she held onto them. But now she had to look after a _puppy_? Pets required energy, and energy, she did not have.

But… Bickslow was happy. It was probably the happiest she'd seen him since the accident. And she was just so damn proud that he'd agreed to go to the counsellor at all, because she knew how stubborn he could be when it came to talk to people about anything at all – even _her_.

Lucy just didn't think she had it in her to tell the man that they couldn't keep the dog. Especially not when he was already so attached.

"Well, I'm not looking after it," she said with a sigh, picking up the large knife to go back to chopping up the vegetable. Of course though, Lucy knew she'd be looking after the creature anyway, because Bickslow worked during the day and she couldn't very well just ignore the animal. That would be cruel. "Your pet, your responsibility."

Bickslow was almost jumping up and down like a child. "I know! I'll look after her!" he said excitedly. He left the table just to walk around the kitchen and press a quick kiss to her cheek, still holding the ball of fur. "You're the best, Cosplayer!"

Lucy only shook her head again. And when she watched the former Seith mage go off to introduce the dog to her so-called human sister playing happily in the playpen in front of the fireplace, she could only roll her eyes and be thankful that he wasn't miserable anymore.

Although Lucy did have to admit that the puppy was kind of cute. She just hoped it didn't have a stupid name.

* * *

 _ **A/Ns:** I seemed to have forgotten how to write, as far as this chapter goes (not that I really knew how to in the first place, but whatever). I'm not really that happy with this chapter, either. It was really difficult to write, and I think that probably shows with how a lot of it seems rushed. But in a way, that was intentional. This story is getting long as it is, and I want to try and get it finished up in the next 8-10 chapters. I'll have to sit down and write out some chapter plans though, just so I can see how much I actually have left. _

_Anyway. I know I'm steering away from Lucy's pregnancy/the twins/Ingrid in this chapter. Don't worry, there'll be more fluff to do with all of that in the next chapters. But for reference, since this chapter does take place over roughly 6-8 weeks, here's a mini timeline for the chapter as far as Lucy's pregnancy goes (since again, I know there hasn't been much of it lately):  
\- Crash at 19 weeks.  
\- Talking to Bix/Bix feeling the babies (yay!) at roughly 21/22 weeks.  
\- Moving from 22-24 weeks.  
\- Puppy! at roughly 26/27 weeks._

 _Hopefully that clears things up, or at least, gives you a better picture of how the story is going. There really wasn't much room to include a lot of details about it in the chapter itself since Lucy wasn't really the focus of it in a way. I don't know..._

 _Also, since it had been such a long time since I worked on this, I've finally gone through the whole fic, and revised/edited/updated all the previous chapters. I'd done the first few sometime last year, but I'd been lazy and stopped doing it. But since I needed to go back and read this to see what I had/hadn't included, I thought I'd just finally get it all updated. When I was updating the chapters, I went ahead and removed all of the old A/Ns too. Most of them weren't really important._

 _On another note though, if you're into BixCo (Bickslow/Cobra), I'm hosting BixCo week at the end of October! There's an announcement on my page, as well as a title page/overview chapter for it already posted._


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